With Halloween this weekend, residents of Jesmond looking for a last-minute costume might not need to travel far to put an outfit together.

While no local Jesmond shop sells traditional Halloween costumes, charity shops and high street retailers are offering alternatives for those hoping to dress up without buying a complete outfit.

At Mind charity shop on St George’s Terrace, store manager Leanne Farrier says Jesmond residents have been using their store to find clothes they can turn into costumes for a while now, whether for Halloween or in the case of Jesmond’s student population, for one of their Wednesday night socials.

With Jesmond’s busy student nightlife, she says there is a demand for dressing-up clothes throughout the year, whenever the students are “back in the area” and have “got their student loans”, not just for Halloween.

“There is always something going on in Jesmond, we are always selling stuff like dresses for men, or the other day we had people who had to dress up as grannies,” she said.

Farrier has noticed more customers looking for Halloween outfits recently, with shoppers searching for individual items they can use to create their own costumes.

The shop’s second-hand clothing offers customers to find something different from what is available in mainstream retailers.

But charity shops aren’t the only places where people can find last-minute additions to their Halloween outfits.

At Oliver Bonas on Acorn Road, store manager Katie Dominy says the shop does not focus heavily on Halloween, with its seasonal displays already turning towards Christmas and gifting season.

However, that doesn’t stop customers coming in for last-minute costume accessories.

“We get last-minute people come in for tights and stuff, which is usually what people come to us first for,” she said.

Dominy also recalled Egyptian-inspired costumes being popular last year, with customers looking for accessories – like “chunky gold necklaces” – to complete their outfits.

But students hoping to put together an entire outfit on a budget may need to shop around. During a visit to Oliver Bonas, cardigans were priced around £65, making them a more expensive option for anyone looking for a one-night costume.

For students who would rather reuse clothing than buying something new, Jesmond charity shops offer another place to look.