WITH Halloween upon us, it’s not unusual to see witches at this time of the year, but one Irish woman has been donning a pointy had and cloak for a whole month.
Since October 1, Seáron Thornton has been in full witch attire all day, every day – but it’s all for a fantastic cause.
Seáron, who lives in Aberdeen but is originally from Moate in Co. Westmeath, is raising money for the palliative care team at the Irish Cancer Society.
The organisation cared for Seáron’s grandfather Mattie, who passed away earlier this year after suffering from dementia.
Charting her progress on Instagram using the hashtag #WitchWearForPalliativeCare, Seáron has captured herself in her magical outfit in a range of everyday situations – as well as managing to set up some fantastic creative shots.
And the public has been left spellbound, with Seáron so far raising over 10 times her original target of £300.
“My granddad passed away in February from dementia, but it was the Irish Cancer Society that facilitated his palliative care,” explained Seáron.
“I’m raising money for them and specifically for palliative care because I wanted to highlight the work they do, and in some way make a gesture of how important their work was during the time my granddad was ill.
“I liked the idea of contrasting the dignity that people get via palliative care with the indignity of dressing in a ridiculous manner for an entire month.
“I originally said £300 because I think that’s roughly how much it is for one night of palliative care in Ireland, so I’m happy now, if that equates to 10 nights for a family, that’s amazing.”
Seáron’s eye-catching campaign was a tribute to her grandfather who, along with her grandmother, always nurtured her creative side.
“I was his only granddaughter so I was wrapped up in cotton wool,” said Seáron.
“He wouldn’t have wanted me to do anything that would put me through physical hardship, so that meant a marathon or anything like that was out the window.
“But he always commented on my creativity. I used to do arts and crafts and my grandparents used to always buy me something arts and craftsy every Christmas.
“So I wanted to do something that was a bit more creative and something that I thought would give my granddad a bit of a giggle.”
While it was awkward to begin with – especially having started a new job just two weeks earlier – Seáron has gotten more and more into the spirit of things, and the reaction has been fantastic.
“It’s been really heartening, the support you can get from complete strangers, just by creating a talking point by dressing up or being a bit different,” said Seáron.
“I’m really happy with how it’s gone and how much money I’ve raised, but I’m going to be so happy to pull on a pair of jeans tomorrow and a normal jumper and be a normal human again!”
