A PUPIL from Widnes took a ‘grow your own sunflower’ competition to the next level, nurturing his plant to grow to more than 10 feet tall.

George Sparks, 10, was devastated when he planted the sunflower seeds, and nothing blossomed in time for the deadline at school.

But then miraculously over the summer holidays, the enormous flower grew to nearly three times the height of him, having to now be braced to the fence in his garden.

George, who attends Farnworth Primary School on Pit Lane, planted the seeds in a ‘special mixture’ of soil in his garden.

“This is the first time I have ever grown a sunflower,” George said, “I planted the seed on Easter Sunday and have watered it every morning and every evening unless it has been raining.”

George’s dad, Nick Sparks, explained how the time his son spent nurturing the plant from seed eventually paid off.

He said: “He has watered it every day and it has grown and grown. After he missed the cut off with school, we never thought it was going to flower and then suddenly three weeks ago it flowered.

“I have never seen a flower grow that big before.”

Nick runs the family business, Eco Energy Cleaning Solutions, and said how while George sometimes struggles with school, he makes up for it ‘tenfold’ in his practical abilities.

He said: “The business we have, we hire floor cleaning machines, and every weekend George comes down and helps me fix the machines, he’s very hands on and he is so willing to help.”

The sunflower now stands proud at 15 feet at its most recent measure.

George added: “I cannot believe how big it has grown, it only flowered two weeks ago. I will definitely grow more sun flowers next year.”