Gillingham 2009


	31st October 2009 Spooky Goings-on at Orchard Park Garden Centre Gillingham, Dorset

This year’s mangold-growing contest and hurling event at Orchard Park Garden Centre, Gillingham, Dorset was held on Halloween, so what better time to revive the old Somerset tradition of Punkie Night? (The answer is 29th October, because Punkie Night is on the last Thursday of the month.)

The origins of Punkie (or Punky) night are uncertain, but it has been a tradition in parts of Somerset for as long as anyone can remember. It involves making jack o’lanterns from carved mangolds, similar to the American tradition of carving pumpkins. Children sometimes carry them around and demand money with menaces, again similar to the American tradition of trick or treat.


	The Punkie lanterns below were made specially for this year’s event, using a yellow mangold (left) and a red mangold (right). Should you wish to find out more about Punkie Night, click here.




	The Weigh-in and Prizegiving...


	Entries were down on last year because of the world recession, but the winning mangold in the senior class weighed in at an impressive 7.5Kg.




	Above: Richard Cumming presents the prize for the Junior category, in the glare of the Gillingham paparazzi’s flashbulbs.




		Above: The winner of the Most Interestingly-Shaped Mangold category gleefully displays his certificate. His mangold was interesting bordering on hideous.


	An uncomfortably high proportion of the mangolds entered this year seemed to resemble human heads (above and below).