Express & Star

Pumpkin farm gears up for 'busiest month of the year' with Halloween around the corner

Pumpkin-picking, a donkey named Harry Kane and family fun galore will be at the heart of a busy October for a popular Staffordshire farm.

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Alexander Bower and staff member Connie Gibson are getting excited about October and the pumpkin harvest

The team at Lower Drayton Farm in Penkridge have been busy planting more than 120,000 pumpkin seeds ahead of October and Halloween on October 31, with a range of activities being held alongside the pumpkin harvest.

People visiting the farm will be able to pick their own pumpkin, as well as vegetables such as carrots and swedes, and see animals such as Harry Kane the donkey and Honey the goat, as well as enjoy pumpkin soup and cakes.

Managing director Richard Bower said the annual harvest was a popular time of the year at the farm, with people decorating their homes and holding Halloween gatherings for young and old.

He said: "October is the busiest month of the year for us and has been in the last couple of years after we started doing this in 2017 and Halloween has become a massive growth within tourist attractions.

"I think being out in the countryside and in the fresh air does help, as well as the rise of social media, which has seen people take photos and put them on Instagram and Twitter, plus it's something for the whole family to enjoy."

Mr Bower said the farm had added more activities and increased its growth of vegetables after the success of Jeremy Clarkson's hit Amazon Prime show Clarkson's Farm, saying it helped to promote what farmers deal with and showcase what Lower Drayton Farm was all about.

He said: "I thought it was absolutely brilliant and I can't wait for the next one as it showed what farmers deal with in terms of the weather and global markets and opened the eyes of a lot of people to what we do.

"We are a family business and like to share it with everyone, plus we are in a great location to showcase what farming is all about, as well as being a fun and friendly atmosphere."

The farm will be open every weekend from October 1 and daily from October 14 to October 31, and Mr Bower said he was looking forward to seeing people come down and enjoy their day out.

He said: "There's plenty to do, from the pumpkins to the play area and we also have a haunted house, with actors coming out to say 'boo' to people.

"What I would say to people is to come down, enjoy the atmosphere and learn, grow and have some fun."

To find out more, go to lowerdraytonfarm.co.uk.