A POPULAR pumpkin patch at Kilduff Farm has announced its closure after six years.

Located near Athelstaneford, the farm’s much-visited annual pumpkin festival has become an essential part of the autumn calendar for many East Lothian families.

Every year, hundreds of visitors choose their own pumpkin to take home from the thousands which are hand planted in the spring, ready for picking in October.

However, following six successful years of the festival, a social media post yesterday announced the closure of the patch, which was met with disappointment from many families who loved visiting every autumn.

Lucy and Russell Calder, who took over the arable farm from Russell’s grandfather in 2010, say that they have made this decision to allow them to focus time and energy on the core business, smaller events and family life.

They shared the news on Kilduff Farm’s Facebook and Instagram pages, resulting in hundreds of reactions and comments, many sharing photos and memories of past pumpkin picking expeditions.

'A huge loss'

The post read: “If you have been with us from the start, you will know that the whole reason we started growing pumpkins eight years ago was for our children – a project to help get them out on the farm and involved in day-to-day farming.

"It certainly achieved that and much, much more!

“There are a multitude of factors that have shaped our decision but ultimately we know it’s the right time for our family. It’s not been an easy decision and certainly one that hasn’t been taken lightly.

“We can’t thank you all enough for supporting our crazy little project.”

Visitors replied with photos and happy memories of visits to the farm, many offering support and telling stories of their children who looked forward to the event each year.

One comment read: “The patch will be a huge loss to so many. I doubt we'll ever find a pumpkin patch that will be able to fill your shoes, just an amazing family day out, a huge part of our calendar.

“Thank you so much for all of your hard work and dedication over the years and thank you for helping us to create so many special memories!”

'Unpredictable weather'

Lucy, whose family have owned the farm since 1963, said: “The comments on our social media posts have been very moving. Calling time on our pumpkin festival is bittersweet.

“While we know it’s the right decision for our family, we will miss welcoming pumpkin pickers to the farm and all the fun we have had.

“We never imagined how special it would become to so many families across the Lothians and beyond.

“Every successful event takes a huge amount of work, much of it behind the scenes, and our family and staff all poured their hearts and souls into making the pumpkin festival a special experience for every person that visited.

“Growing pumpkins isn’t for the faint of heart and the increasingly unpredictable weather has made delivering an event of this nature and scale more and more challenging and time-consuming over the years.

“While we know it’s the right decision for our family, we will miss welcoming pumpkin pickers to the farm and all the fun we have had.”