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Somerset in Pictures: Pumpkins and stolen cheese

This week, in time for Halloween, our weekly picture round-up for the county includes a huge pumpkin grown by a local man on his allotment.

We also have a boxing champion who won despite her injuries and some stolen cheeses.

Ben Rayner Ben Rayner is sitting on the grass next to his huge pumpkin. He is leaning against it. He is wearing a grey shirt and sunglasses.Ben Rayner

Halloween Pumpkin: Ben Rayner from Highbridge in Somerset has grown a pumpkin that is about 3ft (91cm) tall and the size of a wooden pallet in diameter. Westcroft Farm in Berrow has displayed the pumpkin and is letting people guess its weight for a prize that is yet to be confirmed.

Neli Ivanova Lucy Payne during a boxing match with another woman. The two women appear in a black and white filter while fighting in a ring.Neli Ivanova

Boxing champion: A woman who was crowned British boxing champion says the sport saved her life, by providing an outlet to process her relationship breakdown "in a positive way". Lucy Payne won the Union Boxing Federation title last month after a victory at Blake Hall, Bridgwater. The single-mum from Carhampton, Somerset, defeated her opponent while suffering from a dislocated shoulder and a torn rotator cuff.

PA A man stands in a warehouse with shelves stacks with large wheels of a cheddar cheese, one of which he is holding on his shoulder.PA

Cheese theft: A supplier whose cheese was among 22 tonnes targeted by thieves said the theft is a "very difficult loss". Tom Calver, director of Westcombe Dairy in Westcombe, Somerset, said he was "hugely distressed" when he heard the news. The cheese was delivered by London-based Neal's Yard to an alleged fraudster who posed as a wholesale distributor for a major French retailer.

John Crockford-Hawley holding the trowel which his cousin used to lay the pier's foundation stone.

Historic pier: John Crockford-Hawley, Weston-super-Mare's mayor, learnt he was related to a boy who helped open Birnbeck pier 160 years ago. The discovery came ahead of the announcement of a £10m package to save the pier from collapsing. He said he is the cousin of Cecil Smith-Piggott, the four-year-old son of the lord of the manor who laid the pier's foundation stone using a ceremonial trowel.

A view over Axbridge town square, towards the old church. In the foreground, a sign reads "The Alms House Tea Shop, established 1450".

Tax rules: Steve Corrick, who owns a small teashop in Axbridge, said the current tax rules have forced him to close his Somerset cafe one day a week, to avoid making too much money. He said the situation "means we're not employing people today, not serving the local community, it's crazy".

Emma in blue football kit standing on a pitch with other players in the background.

Disability football: The number of people with disabilities getting involved in football has risen significantly, Somerset's Football Association says. Its pan-disability league is thriving and now boasts 14 adult teams, five under-16 teams and four under-12 teams. Disability football is open to almost everyone who may face barriers to mainstream versions of the sport, and all abilities are welcome at teams across the county.

Somerset NHS Foundation Trust Helen Parfitt wears a black polka dot shirt and a blue lanyard in a hospital corridor. Somerset NHS Foundation Trust

Career choices: A children’s nurse who is retiring after almost 50 years says her choice of career was “the single best decision of my life”. Helen Parfitt, 69, who worked her final shift at Musgrove Park Hospital, Taunton, Somerset, in late September, said: “I can’t believe the time has come to leave”.

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