English village marks Halloween with stunning mural made of pumpkins

Not much happens in the sleepy English village of Slindon in West Sussex but in October a burst of colour from the shed roof made of pumpkins signifies the approach of Halloween.

The tradition dates back to the late 1960's when local gardener Ralph Upton started to sell his pumpkins and squash to the locals from his courtyard - but it wasn't until the early 1990's that he had the idea of decorating his shed roof with his seasonal pumpkins and squashes.

Tourists from as far afield as the United States, Canada, Europe, Japan and Australia have travelled to see this annual festival.

This year’s scene is commemorating the 100th Anniversary of the Armistice and the 100th Anniversary year of the RAF (Royal Airforce). 100 years ago there was an airship base at Slindon and the airships based there in 1918 were SS type submarine scouts that were tasked with patrolling the English Channel looking out for enemy submarines.

Mark Ford a local installation artist uses the roof of this shed as a canvas on which to create an extraordinary mural.

With 1,000 fruits, yes they are fruits and not vegetables, Pumpkins and another 60 members of the cucurbit family occupy every available space in an explosion of colour.