CHILDREN at Spreyton Primary School were celebrating last week after sowing the seeds of success and growing a prodigious pumpkin. In a novel approach to boost interest in growing and eating healthy food among primary school pupils, health chiefs at Mid Devon Primary Care Trust sent pumpkin seeds to local schools earlier this year. Pupils from Spreyton planted the seeds and then entered the fruit in a competition to find the heaviest pumpkin in the area. Now, six months after the seeds were planted, Spreyton Primary School has taken the award for the heaviest fruit at 27.5kg. Nearby Yeoford Community also won a prize for the most humourous fruit. Cynthia Higbee, headteacher of Spreyton Primary School, said she was delighted pupils from her school had scooped the award. ?We genuinely try our best to educate our children about the food they eat ? and we have our own school garden for the purpose,? she said. The grow a pumpkin scheme had really made growing food fun for the children, she added. Last Friday, the school was presented with £100 towards a school food project and a five-a-day resource pack. Helen Buxton-Smith, who coordinates healthy eating programmes for the trust, said it was wonderful to see school pupils taking such an interest. ?The competition was an innovative way of getting children to think about growing their own food,? she said. ?And from the entries I?ve seen, some schools really took up the challenge.? The scheme is all part of the trust?s campaign to get young and old alike eating at least five portions of fruit and vegetables a day.