A Halloween harvest like no other: Inside the Leicestershire farm growing 450,000 pumpkins a year
Cattows Farm has become one of Leicestershire's biggest Halloween attractions for pumpkin picking
Halloween is big business in the East Midlands – and one Leicestershire farmer has seen his pumpkin patch grow into a monster of an attraction.
Cattows Farm was the first pumpkin-picking patch in the county, but what started with just 500 pumpkins has blossomed into a huge operation, now growing more than 450,000 every year.
Farmer James Ludlam says the success of the seasonal event has been bigger than he could ever have imagined.
"We've gone from being the first pick-your-own pumpkin farm in the county to now being one of probably 15."
Senior Reporter, Amelia Salmons, has been down to the pumpkin patch to take a look:
The farm now has a 10-acre pumpkin field – equivalent to more than 10 football pitches – filled with pumpkins, with eight or nine varieties grown for visitors to choose from.
But the experience has grown far beyond simply picking the perfect pumpkin.
Cattows Farm has transformed its seasonal attraction into a full family day out, complete with a Halloween circus and roller disco.
And as the popularity of pumpkin picking has exploded, the farm has seen more competition too.
From being the first of its kind in Leicestershire, there are now around 15 pumpkin-picking farms across the county.
Farmer James Ludlam tells us they've attracted some famous faces over the years:
But the team at Cattows has continued to grow, producing around 900 times as many pumpkins as when they first started.
And the Halloween fun doesn't stop when October comes to an end.
On November 1, the farm hosts a pumpkin smash, giving visitors the chance to let off some steam by smashing their leftover pumpkins.
It's also a practical solution for the farm, with the event helping to deal with the huge number of pumpkins left over after Halloween.