By Philomena McInaw

Illies Community Centre has opened a pumpkin patch to let adults and children choose their own pumpkin for Halloween while raising money for the community.
A committee spokesperson said “This is our second year doing the pumpkin
patch. Last year we set it up as an initiative to give back to the community.
The money that is raised from the pumpkin patch “goes towards enhancing the
facilities.”
Customers can purchase hot chocolate with marshmallow
and blue and red slushy drinks.
The demand for pumpkin picking was so high last year that the committee
decided to make it work better.
“We initially sold out on the first weekend, so we added more stuff to
accommodate everyone.
“We were delighted with the demand. The second weekend sold out as well,
such a high demand. People are travelling from Glengadd, from Armagh, from
Derry, from Letterkenny.”
The Rise of Pumpkin Patches and Seasonal Experiences has made the sector
grow bigger in the last number of years.
Pumpkin patches provide many opportunities to engage and encourage children
to learn and grow. This location is perfect as it gives families a chance to
engage and encourage children to learn and grow.
The children can have some freedom to roam around and pick out their very
own pumpkin gives them a sense of pride and independence.
The indoor event is great as weather conditions do not affect it.
The committee spokesperson said “We’re really, fortunate. It’s a very small
committee here, but people work very hard and we’re
so lucky we have a lot of volunteers who helped and support us.
“Thank you to all the volunteers for your hard work. This has built community
relations and made Halloween so special this year; we look forward to seeing you next year again.”

The Illies Community centre was built in 2007, the local community came
together to build a hub that could be used for different social events.