Man with GIANT pumpkin raising money for a Harrogate hospice

It's ÂŁ1 to enter the guess the weight competition

Author: Natalie HigginsPublished 29th Oct 2021

A man from Harrogate who has grown a GIANT pumpkin is hoping it will raise plenty of money for a local hospice.

Ian Hutton had been giving the beast gallons of water every day, tending to it before and after finishing 11-hour shifts at work.

At one point the pumpkin was growing at 2.5inches every day.

Ian and partner, Natalie, chose to support Saint Michael's Hospice after having a family friend, Stephen, stay with them.

Since then the couple have donated fresh, organic produce from their local allotment to the hospice as a thanks for the care they gave Stephen.

Ian, said: "We've lost a couple of friends through cancer who have been at Saint Michaels and with coronavirus it just seemed like the ideal time. Every penny helps.

"I've been growing pumpkins for the last six years and perfected it over time. I bought some seeds from over in the States and thought if I could grow it to a reasonable size I could raise some money for the hospice at the same time."

The pumpkin's journey

For just ÂŁ1 people can enter the guess-the-weight competition with the closest entry winning an unknown surprise.

Ian, added: "There is still part of me that wants to grow another one out of the seeds that this one produces because if anything it will be even bigger but it's all just luck.

"It's been a good year this year but next could be completely different."

As well as the competition people can support Ian and Saint Michael's Hospice by donating to his online fundraiser.

Ian's given a special thanks to Taplanes Harrogate, Shine on Kings Road, Kendall's butchers and the Wellington Inn at Darley.

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