Pumpkin patch family rejects 'worst in UK' claim

The organiser of a pumpkin patch has hit back at a social media influencer who labelled it the "most depressing in the UK".

Suffolk Pumpkin Patch, in Barton Mills, promised "fields full of pumpkins and memories to last a lifetime".

But, since opening on 2 October, the inaugural Halloween-themed event has been criticised by social media influencer Alex Dodman, who has more than 500,000 followers.

The family behind the event said they had tried their "very hardest" to make it a success and, while some of their pumpkins had been smashed, they had received "a lot of good feedback and only a small amount of bad".

"The guy in question is comparing us to large scale events that have been going for more than 10 years," they said.

"We're a family-of-three and pleased with what we've achieved and we have seen lots of smiles and laughter.

"We guarantee to come back bigger and better next year."

Boasting pumpkins, food stalls, mini-golf and a big wheel, the event is running every weekend until 31 October and costs £4 for children and £5 for adults, while the cost of food and rides is extra.

Dodman, who describes himself as being the "home of real reviews", posted his critical video across his TikTok, Instagram, Facebook and Youtube accounts.

He said the event's Halloween decorations were "questionable", "nothing seems to work" and it had "Glasgow Willy Wonka vibes".

Sophie Masson, 34, from Ipswich, agreed with Dodman, and called it "the worst pumpkin patch I've ever been to".

"The music for the K-Pop performance kept cutting out so they were lip syncing but no music was playing so my daughter lost all belief in the magic of it," she said.

"We were really disappointed."

Chloe Dyer, 31, left after less than an hour.

"It was just a field that pumpkins had been rolled into which we could have bought at a supermarket," she said.

"It was shocking and so disheartening."

Izzy Younger, 22, from Norwich, however, spent five hours there and said her three-year-old son "keeps asking to go back".

"The fields with the pumpkins were massive and I thought it was really good, so I think the criticism is unfair," she said.

"My son enjoyed himself. I've taken him to pumpkin patches since he was a baby and that was my favourite one because there was so much more to do."

Gemma Clarke, 42, from Felixstowe, said she "felt bad for the organisers".

"There was a DJ, photo opportunities, free games, prize games like a carnival at an extra cost and it was dog-friendly," she said.

"All in all it had much more going on than an average pumpkin patch."

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