Pumpkingate: the spooky mystery of the missing charity pumpkin

When Suzi Russell and her daughter Primrose grew a huge ‘Cinderella’ pumpkin on their farm near Lowestoft, they thought it would be a fantastic way to raise money and support Children on the Edge, they certainly didn’t expect that the pumpkin would become a local talking point and feature in the news. 

Suzi, who is a Body Shop at Home Consultant, together with 5-year-old Primrose, grew the enormous pumpkin and auctioned it off to the highest bidder to raise funds to support Children on the Edge.

This could have been the end of a lovely story but this pumpkin tale doesn’t end here… 

Pumpkingate 

​Whilst the family were waiting for the pumpkin’s new owner to collect it, they left it out on their doorstep, and they were horrified to discover later that it had disappeared! 

The family reached out for witnesses to help locate the missing pumpkin, sharing a wanted poster on social media and contacting the local press. Primrose helped with the appeal, recording a short video, and inspiring a great local pumpkin hunt..

The Great Yarmouth Mercury supported the appeal, releasing an article about pumpkingate and asking their readers to join in with the search for the missing white ghost pumpkin.  

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“It turns out it wasn’t Cinderella that borrowed the pumpkin, as midnight came and went there was still no sign of the missing vegetable.” 

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Pumpkin Picking 
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Incredibly, after featuring in the local newspaper, the famous pumpkin was returned to Suzi and Primrose. 

An unsuspecting lady had picked up the pumpkin, assuming that they were for sale, but didn’t have any cash on her at the time. She had been planning to return with some money when her husband spotted the appeal and she realised her mistake, bringing the now infamous ‘Cinderella’ Pumpkin straight home.  

Suzi said that she couldn’t believe it when the pumpkin was returned, Primrose was so happy to see the pumpkin she gave it a huge welcome home hug!

Halloween Ready
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After hearing about the about the pumpkin’s adventures, the original auction winner, Rachel Mcleod, decided that she would like the family to keep and carve the pumpkin themselves. 

So Suzi and Primrose carved an incredible Children on the Edge and Body Shop inspired creation and the pumpkin is once again out on their doorstep ready for Halloween. 

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