The growing of pumpkins in the peat rich Cambridgeshire Fens is a profitable business thanks to the proximity of a number of US airbases and the American enthusiasm for celebrating Halloween. For almost fifty years the community of Soham has come together in the autumn to show off their husbandry skills and compete to grow the heaviest pumpkin or the longest leek.
Pumpkins await collection and weighing.
The pumpkins are collected by Hiab for weighing.
After weighing the pumpkins are arranged into categories.
The pumpkins are carefully guarded.
The pumpkins are divided in catergories.
The vegetable are graded and put into their categories.
Prizes are awarded for length and weight.
Entries are laid out for inspection by the judges.
Officials judging the competition for the tallest sunflower.
Officials measuring the sunflower heads.
Judges measuring the leeks.
Traders selling pumpkins to the public.
Fancy dress competition entrants.
Fancy dress competition winner.
Jill & Hob ferrets (male & female) at the Soham Pumpkin Fair. The species of polecat were traditionally used for hunting rabbit, but are now mostly kept as pets.
A ferret gets its teeth inspect by a member of the Cambridgeshire Ferret Welfare & Rescue Society who attend the fair to give advice about ferret welfare both as working animals and as pets.
A boy sits by the winning entry which weighed in at 408 kgs (64 stone) and was grown by a Mr John Richardson of Chatteris, Cambs. When it was growing the pumpkin required 12 gallons of water and 4 gallons of tomato feed each day and would gain up to 15lb
