Halloween pirate ship fundraises for air ambulance

The pirate ship is assembled on the driveway of a house near Southend-on-Sea

A house has been transformed into a pirate-themed Halloween experience, including a ship complete with cannons.

Lee Whitehair has been decorating his house in Leigh-on-Sea, Essex every year for two decades but has recently started to use the display to raise money for charity.

This year it is in aid of the Essex & Herts Air Ambulance, with the support of the Leigh-on-Sea Rotary Club.

"It just de-stresses me from work. I just like making kids happy and building things," he said.

The pirate ship, which is more than 15ft (4.7m) tall, took more than two months to build in sections before it was transported to Leigh-on-Sea and assembled on Mr Whitehair's driveway.

He and his wife then put out the rest of the decorations and they have expanded their display year-on-year.

Lee Whitehair admits he is "a bit mad" after building a Halloween pirate ship on his driveway

"Every year I buy something different and it just gets bigger and bigger," Mr Whitehair said.

"I don’t really get anything out of it, I just get the pleasure of watching the kids playing and people saying 'wow, that’s good'", he said, admitting that he might be "a bit mad".

Kevin Geeson, from Essex & Herts Air Ambulance, described the decorations as incredible.

"We’re always very grateful for anybody who puts themselves out in this way to raise much needed funds for us," Mr Geeson said.

"It costs us £1m a month just to keep operating, and any income we receive is greatly appreciated as we receive no funding from government or the National Lottery”.

The decorations, on Eastwood Old Road, are open to the public every evening from Sunday, 27 October until Halloween.