Halloween across our Crawley, Harlow and Bristol homes
9th November 2026
177,530 children in England were living in temporary accommodation at the end of March 2026, the highest number since records began (Shelter, August 2026). For a council, placing a family is one step in a longer journey. For the family, the first weeks in a new building decide whether it starts to feel like home.
We see the placement as the very beginning of our work. Alongside day-to-day housing management, our on-site teams in Crawley, Harlow and Bristol run community activities that help children settle in and give parents a familiar face in the building. Halloween this October is a good example.
Crawley: the fifth Sutherland Quarters party
On 29 October, Housing Officers Shanna and Asha hosted the children's Halloween party at Sutherland Quarters, now in its fifth year. Around 25 children and 15 parents came along. Lora Bencheikh, our Joint Group MD, decorated the reception and booked a magician.
Shanna set up a seating corner with blankets, pillows and bean bags. Asha baked cupcakes and brownies, and together they filled party bags with bubbles, glow sticks, tattoos and sweets. The children's favourite part was the disco with a bubble machine at the end. The fancy dress winner, dressed as Beetlejuice, took home a £30 Smyths voucher, and her mum told the team how much it meant to the family.
Many of the families at Sutherland Quarters are new to the building. Parents told Shanna they had never had anything like this in their previous homes. The whole afternoon was organised and run by our own team.
Harlow: a gaming bus for older children at Templefields House
At Templefields House, the team planned Halloween with the older children in mind. Lora arranged for Essex Gaming to bring their gaming bus on 29 October, and around 20 of our residents' children spent 3pm to 5:30pm on consoles and a VR roller coaster. Many stayed until the bus was packing up.
Housing Officer Holly and Service Lead Sandra handed out goody bags and judged the costume competition in a reception decorated since the start of October, which residents called our best display yet. The costume winners have now received their prizes.
Bristol: a Halloween welcome at Imperial Apartments
Community Engagement Officer Sam decorated the front desk at Imperial Apartments and set up a Witches Hat Hoopla game for children on their way through, with sweets for every try.
What this means for the families we house
Activities like these are part of how we support residents every day. Children get a reason to meet their neighbours, and parents get to know the officers they can turn to for help.
Thank you to Shanna, Asha, Holly, Sandra, Sam and Lora for the time and care they gave to our residents' children.