LISTEN: How Halloween affects Lancaster woman who suffered 75 per cent burns in fire

A Lancaster woman who suffered burns over three quarters of her body during a tragic house fire has spoken to Beyond Radio about how Halloween affects her.

Noryne was badly injured in the fire, in which her gran died, almost 50 years ago when she was just four years old.

Since then Noryne has learned to live with her scars but finds this time of year particularly difficult, as do many people with visible differences.

"The amount of times I've been called Freddy Krueger is ridiculous," she said in an interview with Beyond Radio this week.

"I think we could celebrate Halloween in a different way than having to depict other people's scars.

"It may be fun for an evening but think about people who have scars - we have to live with it forever."

LISTEN to Noryne's story

The fire that changed Noryne's life forever, happened on November 4 1977. 

"My gran was babysitting and she died of smoke inhalation," said Noryne.

"I suffered 75 per cent burns. It was a devastating effect on the family as a whole, on myself and continues to be on myself as I grow older and older.

"This November 4 will mark the 49th anniversary and it's not a date I don't forget.

"Around six or seven years ago I reached a turning point and I thought, no, it's not a time to be sad, it's a time to celebrate.

"I lived. I'm here. I survived.

"It shaped my early life, I was very very protected. I had a good set of friends at school and a very protective family around me.

"My mother has always brought me up to be a strong woman. She's never let my difference get in the way, from the day it started.

"The friends I had, they were rock solid. It was almost like there was a wall created around me. You couldn't penetrate it unless you were worthy, and that was a wonderful, wonderful feeling.

"With my family I didn't feel a difference at all. We didn't talk about it. It was just a given. It was just me.

"I lived in a small community in Lancaster and everybody knew me.

"But once you step outside of that, it's a different world."

Noryne's first experience of being discriminated against for her visible difference, came when she applied for nursing school at 16.

"I passed their academic stuff and I had to get through the medical. My mum was very hesitant with it but my surgeon said no, go for it. 

"So I went to the interview, I walked in the room, they took one look at both of my hands, because I only have three digits on both hands, and they said I'm sorry, no, we can't go any further with this'.

"That was devastating. That was the first hurdle I'd ever ever had because of how I look and how my hands were.

"That was the first time I recognised, that I am different.

"I think they were questioning the ability, but at the time, before the Discrimination Act, I think it was through them not knowing what I was capable of, because they probably had nobody else apply who looked like me, and who had the disabilities that I had."

When Noryne eventually went to university, she said she found it a "culture shock".

"I'd lost my complete bubble. I had nobody. 

"But again, there, I built a bubble, so I was quite safe in some respects.

"I was hyper vigilant. I was on guard and I didn't let people in easily, at all."

Noryne said she found it difficult to form romantic relationships.

"I couldn't ever, ever go towards a man and ask him out," she said.

"Nobody ever asked me out. I felt disgusted about myself. I felt ashamed and that carried on for many, many years. I've never had  a relationship, to date, and it hurts. It does hurt.

"It's very difficult, being a visually different woman."

Noryne has also had to cope with hurtful remarks about her appearance.

"There was a nudge, nudge, wink, wink, elbow, elbow, 'there she is, look at her'...I used to see all those people. They're not subtle.

"It hurt, it really really hurt.

"But then I had to grow thick skin. I have a saying in life, you either sink or swim. And I choose to swim. 

"It's very very tiring to keep on this facade of being OK, when sometimes I just wanted to go away and crumble, from something a little child may have said. Or a grown adult.

"I've had a group of lads, teenage boys, you walk along and they're laughing and joking, nudging each other. And they say, 'I can smell burned toast walking by, can you?'

"And I know that's about me, and I can either choose to challenge that, if I'm on a good day, or if I'm on a bad day, I don't feel able to.

"I think it's through ignorance and sometimes kids are just kids. They will pick on the more vulnerable.

"Adults, I don't tend to be as forgiving for."

Noryne said the amount of hurtful comments "intensify" at this time of year.

"I get adults walking by saying 'bit early for a Halloween mask, isn't it?'

"But over the years I've learned to either brush it off, challenge or I can treat them with humour. I'm very good with humour, it can very disarming.

"You can stand tall, hold your head up high and just walk on by.

"You deserve compassion, you deserve to be out there in the public eye, not hiding away. So just go for it."

Noryne was a guest on Waterside Weekly, a Beyond Radio show presented by John Hewson, who has a visible difference and campaigns for Changing Faces, a charity supporting everyone who has a scar, mark or condition on their face or body.

This week's episode, first broadcast on Sunday October 25 2026, discussed how people living with visible differences are impacted by Halloween.

Dr Ella Guest, from the Centre for Appearance Research (CAR) discussed a study that proves that when people see representation of scars as villainous, for example, in films such as James Bond and a Nightmare on Elm Street, they start to hold negative views of people with visible differences in real life.

John and co-presenter Luke Edmondson also looked at some surprising Halloween items for sale in the area, that can be triggering at this time of year, as well as how to create a more inclusive costume. 

Luke Edmondson and John Hewson

You can also hear more on the regular Waterside Weekly companion podcast, Beyond the Mooring. 

Beyond The Mooring Episode 19 - Beyond The Mooring - Beyond Radio

Beyond The Mooring Episode 18 - Beyond The Mooring - Beyond Radio