Shoppers at Surbiton Farmers’ Market this Saturday will be helping to raise funds for a sensory garden for autistic pupils at St Philip’s School in Chessington.

The Maple Road market will celebrate its third birthday with a special anniversary tombola, all proceeds going to the school project. Among the fantastic prizes provided by local businesses are meals at local restaurants, beauty treatments, vouchers and baskets of goodies.

St Philip’s School provides education for secondary aged pupils 11-19 years old. Special provision for those with Autistic Spectrum Disorder, other communication difficulties and more significant learning difficulties, is based in the school’s Oak Department. Money raised by the market will be put towards the cost of setting up a new garden for pupils to enjoy.
Surbiton Farmers’ Market is held in Maple Road from 9am to 1pm on the third Saturday of every month. The market features 26 stalls of fresh seasonal produce and speciality foods. Surplus proceeds are donated to local charities and causes.
Awareness stalls at the October 20 market will include Oxygen, the youth charity based at St Peter’s Church Norbiton that organises activities and training for young people in Kingston, and Action for Children, which runs Warren Park Children’s Centre on Kingston Hill and provides short breaks for disabled young people and their families.

Congratulations to Tom and Ollie Hill of Seymour Gardens, Surbiton, aged 8 and 7, who have won the market’s competition to grow the tallest sunflower. Packets of seeds were provided free of charge by the market, courtesy of Surbiton charity The Fircroft Trust.

Tom and Ollie’s sunflower grew to 3 metres 5cm (10ft). They will receive their prize of a basket of market produce at 12 noon on Saturday, when 13-year-old Drew Smith, a pupil at St Philip’s, will cut a cake provided by Pantry Cupcakes to celebrate the market’s third anniversary.

The tombola and cake-cutting will both take place by Shoes at Last, 81 Maple Road.

• For more information on Maple Road Surbiton Farmers’ Market, email farmersmarket@mapleroadsurbiton.co.uk, visit www.mapleroadsurbiton.co.uk, join us on Facebook at Surbiton Farmers’ Market or follow us on Twitter at #surbitonfarmersmrkt.