Star date: 17th February 2019

PAW PATROL, DALEKS AND CYBERMEN ON LOOSE

Salford student, Connor Watson, has raised hundreds of pounds for charities providing mascots, ranging from Paw Patrol characters to daleks and cybermen, through Dalek Operators UK Squadron, while his Pawfect Parties company makes kids events even more fun.

Connor says he was "destined to be the person who carried on the legacy of these characters; the person who said 'You can raise more money for charities, do events and make kids happy'"...

Full details here...

Connor Watson thinks about his job, dressing up as huge mascots and dancing around; "It is a strange career choice" he agrees "I've been doing it since 2016, and started with daleks, cybermen, Disney stuff like Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck...

"You were destined to be the person who carried on the legacy of these characters; the person who said 'You can raise more money for charities, do events and make kids happy'" he explains "It's putting the fun into fundraising, as we used to say in Hyde Fundraisers, it is their motto."

Since then, Connor has started his own two companies, Dalek Operators UK Squadron, which raises hundreds of pounds for charities, and Pawfect Parties, which can be booked privately for children's events...

Over the last few years, Connor has dressed up as an array of strange characters, ranging from a 'squid thing' from Pirates of the Caribbean, to Goofy, to Stitch and Dr Who baddies, the Sontarans. He was last seen in the Salford Star helping out a host of Star Wars characters raising money for the Autistic Society of Greater Manchester in Eccles Shopping Centre (see here), while yesterday he was collecting money in Paw Patrol apparel for a cancer charity at Ye Golden Lion in Blackley.

Some kids love it when his mascots arrive, some kids get frightened...and others just attack...

"Every kid is different" Connor explains "They do believe it's the character, or sometimes they are shocked and are a bit, like 'What is this monstrosity?' and we do see some crying away towards their mum and dads, but the majority react positively and jump around.

"I've had kids kick me and pull the tail which is quite annoying, it's a shame the mums don't do anything and that really bothers me because the costumes can get destroyed and ruined and the magic gets lost" he says "We try and avoid kids pulling tails by telling them it hurts."

Connor's Pawfect Parties has Mashall and Chase from Paw Patrol but is looking to expand into Minnie and Mickey Mouse and others. This company charges £75 for one character and £110 for two for private events...

"It is about bringing happiness to kids but we do have to charge people, as cleaning the costumes isn't cheap and I have to pay the people work for me too" he says "We turn up with a DJ, dance, take photos with the kids and make it the best entertainment for a party. It's all about magic and seeing smiles on their faces, that's what we aim for."

The mascot industry might be all fun and happiness but things can get a bit 'feisty', Connor decides, if rival companies have the same characters on offer. Generally, though, they all work together, particularly for fundraising. And there are thousands of people in the UK dressing up as daleks and Star Wars characters getting a kick out of collecting for charities while indulging their hobby...

"There's the Sons of Skaro who are an excellent fundraising group in Scarborough, and there's a couple in Chesterfield and Leeds, with others all over the country" he says "The Sons of Scaro have a dalek who is gay, completely pink with a splatter of rainbow, to raise money for LGBT causes, and they've got a cheeky one as well. They were telling me that you have to have a different personality for each dalek, otherwise it doesn't work for entertaining the kids."

Connor is trying to procure his own dalek, which can cost up to £2,000... "He would be cheeky, funny, and bouncy, always happy...unlike the daleks on tv which are killing machines; basically the Nazis who want extermination of all life on our planet."

In the meantime, he has featured inside lots of loaned daleks... "It's not as simple as you think, and you need two or three people to help because of the weight" he says "You have a base, a neck and the head, and climb into the skirt. They've got a little stick inside so you can move the eye up and down, and the plunger and the gun are on a joint inside so can move them about. They have wheels and you just walk around in it."

Paw Patrol characters...squid things...Dr Who and Star Wars characters...Connor acknowledges it's a weird lifestyle choice... "When  I was 11 years old, if you'd said I'd be doing mascots I'd have thought you were bonkers because back then I was focussed on being a camera operator and still do" he decides "But it's an easier way of trying to earn your keep and giving something back. It's all about the magic..."

For more details see the Facebook sites Dalek Operators UK Squadron – click here – and Pawfect Parties – click here

Photos by Dave Kilcourse, Philip Halliwell, Alex Taylor and Stu Arnold