Pumpkin Night 2001

The 22nd annual Snowy Young Pumpkin Competition was held last night at The Bell Inn in Chearsley.
The winning entry weighed in at 136lbs and was grown by Mike and Joan of Brill, who are the current record holders with their 1998 effort weighing 171lbs. Nick Southall came a close second at 131lbs and Snowy Young's great-granddaughter came third with a commendable 116lb entry. The combined weight of all 11 entries totalled 762lbs!

Peter, Mike and Joan. And pumpkin.

As usual, the evening included some fund-raising with a raffle raising over £60 towards Debra - the charity raising money for support and research into Epidermolysis Bullosa. This will be added to the many hundreds of pounds already pledged to The Bell's landlord, Peter Grimsdell, who is currently on a sponsored slim. His aim is to lose over 4 stones before next Easter and is well on the way having shed 15lbs in the last few weeks.
The charity has a special meaning within the village as young resident Henry George suffers from the often incapacitating skin disorder for which there is no known medical cure. A special ceremony is being planned for next year when Henry himself will present Debra with a cheque for the grand total raised.

The second place pumpkin weighs in at 131lbs

Lifting the winner is a three man job.....

Joan is presented with the trophy.