Pumpkin competition rounds off successful Steyning & District Food and Drink Festival
and on Freeview 262 or Freely 565
Rather than having the usual spectacle, involving a tractor and weighing scales, shoppers were asked to vote by sight as they passed the display at Steyning Farmers’ Market on the final day of the Steyning & District Food and Drink Festival.
First prize for the heaviest pumpkin went to William and Oliver Peet from Steyning, with Jim Buckland from Wiston in second place, and the prize for best shape went to Hugo from Wiston.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdReina Alston, chairman of Steyning & District Community Partnership’s visitor and tourism group, said: “Because of not wishing to encourage large crowds to mass round and watch as the usual tractor weighing progressed, the much-anticipated annual pumpkin weigh took the route of putting the pumpkins on static display and asking the public to vote for what they thought was the heaviest one.
“It was just as much fun and it is interesting that when outside forces leave you no alternative other than to change some time-honoured method, the new way turns out to be just a good, if not sometimes even better.”
The competition is organised by Derek Crush from Daylands Farm in Ashurst and all money collected from the sale of the pumpkin plants is donated to St Barnabas House hospice in Worthing. So far this year, £220 has been raised, with more to come.
Reina said this year’s festival overall had been very different to usual but it had been put together against all the odds, with support from local businesses.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdMany of the events were run online, including Higgidy Pies’ food challenges, an Instagram cake decorating exhibiton, Steyning Bake Off and talks.
Reina said: “Thanks to the sponsors who made it possible and, of course, the hard-working band of volunteers behind the scenes, it was all in all a great community effort. Here’s to 2021 and hopefully more normal times.”
A message from the Editor, Gary Shipton:
In order for us to continue to provide high quality and trusted local news, I am asking you to please purchase a copy of our newspapers.
With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on many of our local valued advertisers - and consequently the advertising that we receive - we are more reliant than ever on you helping us to provide you with news and information by buying a copy of our newspapers.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdOur journalists are highly trained and our content is independently regulated by IPSO to some of the most rigorous standards in the world. But being your eyes and ears comes at a price. So we need your support more than ever to buy our newspapers during this crisis.
Stay safe, and best wishes.