Cast A Spell??

Wookey Hole witch hangs up her broomstick

The resident witch at Wookey Hole Caves in Somerset has quit her £50,000-per-year post to become an entrepreneur.

Actress Sunny Van der Pas is leaving her role after two years to launch her own clothing line based upon her costumes.
But now directors at the popular tourist attraction need a little magic of their own to find a replacement witch in time for Halloween.
Wookey Hole Director Daniel Medley said: “Our new witch has to be someone who can work school holidays and weekends and who is not allergic to cats or children.”
The attraction employs a witch pro rata, largely over the summer holidays, Halloween and Christmas, They are expected to live in the site's caves during busy periods and to teach witchcraft and magic.
The role normally attracts thousands of applicants, who then compete in for the post X Factor style auditions.
Legend has it that the original Wookey Witch was turned to stone by Father Bernard, who had been appointed by the Abbott of Glastonbury exorcise her from the village.
The attraction has had a live-in witch for more than a decade and she is expected to go about her every day business as a hag so visitors can see what like in the Dark Ages.
The original Witch lived in the caves with some goats and a dog, and was blamed for a number of ills, including crop failures to disease.
The previous incumbent in the role, Fiona Robertson, caused controversy when she was spotted by her bosses performing on X Factor, in her costume, despite the fact that she was off sick.
She faced disciplinary proceedings, but was allowed to keep her job after overwhelming public support.