A green-fingered grandfather is hoping to win his allotment's annual Halloween competition after growing a pumpkin weighing around 25 stone. Billy Nugent, 69, has grown three exceptionally large pumpkins since he took up gardening to stay active after a heart bypass.
Giant pumpkin from £15 seeds
Every year, allotment holders in Waterloo hold a contest to see whose pumpkin is the largest, and Mr Nugent believes his entry is a guaranteed winner for 2026. He said the key is starting with good seeds.
"You've got to get a decent seed. They're Atlantic Giants - I think I paid about £15 for six of them, and we've been using them ever since," he said. "I've had these seeds about 15 years. When you get a nice big pumpkin, you can keep the seeds and use them again, so we've had these a few years now. But if you asked me what's the secret, there isn't one."
Hobby after heart bypass
Mr Nugent, a grandfather of nine, set up his allotment at the bottom of Queensway around 20 years ago, soon after his first granddaughter was born. He explained that he took up the plot after a heart bypass operation.
"I had a heart bypass 20 years ago and I needed somewhere to chill out and I got the allotment because my father-in-law was already on here," he said. "I didn't have a clue. My father-in-law was a factory worker but he had an allotment to himself and he used to do gardens, so he showed me the ropes and I picked it up along the way."
He now grows a wide range of produce, including potatoes, carrots, melons and grapes, and visits the site most days since retiring. "I'm not one for standing still. I might have had heart trouble but I can't sit in the house watching telly, I have to get out," he said.
Community and Halloween plans
Mr Nugent praised the community at the allotment, noting that younger people are now getting involved. "There was a stigma years ago about the plot being all old fellows on bikes, but now there's loads of young people here trying to teach the kids the right way to live," he said.
The allotment's annual pumpkin weigh-in takes place on Saturday, October 10. After that, Mr Nugent hopes to sell his pumpkin for a Halloween display. "Some people take them home, and the smaller ones they use as Halloween lanterns. But I try to sell mine on to get a few bob back to pay for my allotment," he said.
He previously sold a pumpkin to a large fruit market next to Costco for a Halloween display, and this year he would like to see it featured in the Titanic Hotel's foyer, though he has not yet made arrangements.
