Calling keen veg growers of all ages! The North Gwent Cardiac Rehabilitation and Aftercare Charity’s annual Potato Growing Challenge is back for 2025.

This year’s challenge will be to grow the heaviest harvest from a single “Charlotte” variety seed potato, using the kit supplied by sponsors The Abergavenny Garden Centre.

The kits, which cost £5 each and include potato, 10-litre pot and growing instructions, will be available from the charity’s stall at the garden centre on the weekends of March15-16 and March 22-23. Or contact Allen Cleveland on 01873 830 829.

Growers will have four months to coax their spuds to a winning crop, with the Grand Reveal and Weigh-In taking place at the Garden Centre from 2-3pm on Saturday 12 July.

Entry is open to all, with a children’s class for those aged up to 16, and an Adults class for everyone else. Garden Centre vouchers will be awarded to the growers of the top 2 heaviest harvests in each class, with £10 and £5 voucher prizes up for grabs in the Children’s class and £20 and £15 vouchers for the Adults.

Charity Chair Jacky Miles MBE said: “We’re giving people a little longer to grow their potatoes this year, in case we have another cold spring. But our advice is to buy your kits as soon as possible and get those spuds into their pots, because every day counts!”

Garden Centre manager Gavin Trinder echoed Jacky Miles’ advice, adding: “Potatoes need protection from frost, so if you can, start them off in a greenhouse or sunny windowsill, or bring your pot inside if temperatures look set to drop. The other trick is to avoid watering with very cold water, which can stall growth. Take the chill off by adding a splash of warm water to your watering can; it really does make a difference!”

Proceeds from this fun Challenge will go to support the Charity’s work in the community, providing a weekly programme of specialist Cardiac Rehab Exercise Classes for people with heart issues, and those at risk of developing heart disease. Classes are currently available inLlanfoist, Usk, Monmouth and Blaenavon, as well as Abertillery, Nantyglo, Ebbw Vale and Tredegar.

Founded in 1990, the North Gwent Cardiac Rehabilitation and Aftercare Charity uses exercise to help improve the health and wellbeing of people living with heart and circulatory conditions across the area.

“Regular cardiac rehab exercise is one of the best things people can do to regain fitness and maintain a good quality of life, and it can help stave off heart disease,” said Jacky Miles, a former Cardiac Nurse Consultant.

“Our friendly one-hour classes are run by specially trained Cardiac Rehab Exercise Instructors. And joining is easy, thanks to our new Self-Referral Form, which people can complete and submit online through our website, cardiac-rehab.org.uk.”

• For more information about the North Gwent Cardiac Rehabilitation and Aftercare Charity, including a self-referral form to join their classes, please visit their website: https://cardiac-rehab.org.uk, call 07856 692 148 or scan this QR code: