After a frosty start, the sun soon burned through the mist for a bright Saturday in Soham. Competition entries flooded in throughout the morning as gigantic pumpkins, enormous sunflowers and other various shapes of vegetable arrived at the Recreation Ground.
Decorated cakes, floral arrangements, art and poetry were also entered into the indoor competitions showing off the creativity of local groups and residents. Many emphasised this year’s theme of ‘Garden of Gold’- chosen to raise awareness of September as National Childhood Cancer Month. Beneficiaries of the proceeds will be The Liam Fairhurst Foundation (Soham’s own children’s cancer charity) together with the three local primary schools; St Andrews, The Shade and The Weatheralls.
With judging complete, it became evident that it was a record-breaking year for pumpkins with the heaviest being grown by Mr John Richardson of Chatteris with a weight of 408kg. Sunflower entries, however were not quite so good as last year, perhaps due to the strong winds a couple of weeks ago.
At 1.30pm the fair was opened by Callum Fairhurst, who then went on to judge the children’s and pet fancy dress. Arena events then followed with displays by the local schools, Ferret Racing, Ely Irish Dancing and Kuk Sool Won martial arts. The crowds also enjoyed entertainment from Soham Classic Cars, Bygones, Children’s Craft and Story tents, Zorbs, Chris’s Animal Encounters, a funfair and numerous stalls by local charities.
The afternoon ended with a raffle and the prize-giving ceremony, where cups, trophies and certificates were awarded to all the winners of the day. The fair proved to be a great day out for the local community, while raising money for many worthy causes.
Our thanks to the people of Soham and local area for their fantastic support making it another successful year!
Press release from Soham Pumpkin Fair Organisers
