The Jubilee Sailing Trust’s Southampton branch are holding their famous Annual Pumpkin Festival on Saturday 11th October at The Royal Victoria Country Park, Netley. Apart from the chance to see monster, UK Champion Pumpkins, there will also be special guests including disabled yachtsman Geoff Holt, climber and adventurer Rhys Jones and young environment campaigner, Eco Daisy.
The day is awash with fun pumpkin themed things to see and do. There is pumpkin produce to taste and buy, fun competitions, a raffle, Warsash Scouts barbecue, Pumpkin Olympic games, 'Prince Consort Pumpkin Curry’, pumpkin art, a barbeque and of course pumpkin wine. There will also be dancing from New Forest Meddlars and Hampshire Garland dance teams. People will also be able to buy pumpkins and even indulge themselves in a new attraction this year, a ‘mini Chilli-fest’ with Jeremy Green of Facing Heaven Chillies, Basingstoke.
The festival, now celebrating its 11th year has been a great fundraiser for the Jubilee Sailing Trust; the only organisation in the world that enables able bodied and disabled people to experience the thrill off offshore tall ship sailing.
The Festival opens at 12 noon and ends at 5.30pm, with admission a mere £1.50 for adults and 50p for children on a day which is set to be fun for all the family.
Forget your metrics where pumpkin weights are concerned. Tradition has it that they are weighed in good ‘olde’ English pounds.
Over the years pumpkins have been brought to the event in wheelbarrows, horse boxes, on the back of trailers and even craned in by the Army at Marchwood and Travis Perkins!
Last year the largest pumpkin grown in the UK came to the festival weighing in at 1188lbs!! It was brought on the back of a lorry and eventually scooped out, given an outboard motor and sailed 1/3 of the way to the Isle of Wight for BBC Children In Need and the Jubilee Sailing Trust.
Every year the festival grows in size, and there are always had a few surprises at every festival, which attracts more and more people each year. It’s a family festival with lots of activities and sure to brighten up an Autumn day.
If you’ve never been before or need a reminder, the Pumpkin festival is held inside and around the Chapel at Royal Victoria Country Park, Netley, Southampton SO31 5GA on Saturday 11th October 1200 noon until 5.30 Adults £1.50 children over 5 years 50p. Normal car park charges apply. For more information visit www.jst.hampshire.org.uk