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Manchester Evening News
Manchester Evening News
National
Rebecca Day

'I can't get over how much maintenance it takes': Monster on Halloween trail has to be constantly inflated up to five times a day by workers as it keeps blowing down

A woman who lives in a flat opposite one of Manchester's inflatable Halloween monsters said the level of maintenance involved is 'ridiculous' as it constantly blows over.

Melissa Blackmore said she has seen workers fix the monster at Moda, Angel Gardens, up to FIVE times in one day as it keeps deflating.

And by a strange twist of fate her friend Naomi Stewart, who lives in the same block of flats, found fame six years ago after photos were published of her being blown over by strong winds.

Speaking to the Manchester Evening News , Naomi joked the monster has 'been blown over more times than me'.

Naomi Stewart after she was literally blown off her feet in Manchester city centre during storms several years ago (Manchester Evening News)

"But he gets knocked down and gets back up again", she added.

The monster is one of seven creepy characters which have appeared on buildings throughout the city centre for families to visit as part of a Halloween trail.

But Melissa, 28, said: "When you are on the ground you can't see it.

"I can see him from my bed and desk. No one else can see him. You can't see him on the pavement.

"They have funded him for me", she joked.

"I'm so glad they put it up especially for me. I just think it’s ridiculous."

(Filthy Luker)

She said she sees maintenance workers there in the morning and evening - and at points throughout the day.

When she spoke to the Manchester Evening News at 11am on Thursday, she said workers had already been to the roof twice that morning to fix him.

"When the weather is bad they have to put more air in him. How much are they spending on him? If you spend that much money on a big monster then put it in the centre where you can see him.

"I’m certainly not a party pooper but that thing must be costing a fortune. "

(Melissa Blackmore)

Melissa said she regularly posts about the monster on her Instagram stories.

Her desk is positioned at the window so it is in her eye-line as she works.

"I live on floor seven and one of my friends (Naomi) lives on floor ten.

"She is doing similar things. She phones me and is like 'the monster is down, quick run'.

"It's not an obsession but it is my entertainment of lockdown. I can't get over how much maintenance it takes."

(Melissa Blackmore)

She did a poll on her Instagram stories to name the monster, and settled on Boris as he 'looks like a Halloween Johnson'.

"I think I have lost some followers because they are getting fed up of me", she added.

In fact the monster's real name is Beserker, the organisers of the trail explained.

Manchester’s Business Improvement District, organisers of the MCR monsters said: “The MCR monsters are back again this year to bring some cheer to the city and offer a fun, free and Covid-safe way for families to enjoy Halloween.

"All seven monsters are privately funded, so it’s a real collective effort by the Manchester business community to bring these popular installations back each year.

"Beserker is a new monster for 2020 who by the look on his face is clearly a little haunted by the Manchester weather this week.

"He’s in good hands though as the team behind the monsters are international artists who have put installations in some very complex locations across the world – and to ensure safety, regular checks and deflating and inflating periodically are a necessity for any large scale installation like this.”

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