Thousands of tonnes are cut and carved to create goulish lanterns for our doorsteps and windowsills every year.

But a growing movement is highlighting the plight of the pumpkin which they feel is getting a very raw deal.

The Great Pumpkin Rescue is a celebration of food set on carving up Halloween conventions by giving good reason to combat the mountains of wasted edible pumpkin each year.

Pumpkin festivals are springing up all over the country and for the first time a Norfolk venue is taking part by holding a pumpkin party.

The Fire Pit Camp at Wendling, near Dereham, is part of the Slow Food Anglia movement, and a Slow Food approved venue and hopes to educate a few more people in how to minimise food waste on October 31.

Run by sisters Sarah Hughes Wade and Rachel Hughes Green the campsite will be helping to spread the word about recycling pumpkins after Halloween and using every bit of the fruit from sharing recipes for their flesh to make tasty treats to even using the seeds for art projects.

Mrs Hughes Wade said: 'Apparently 18,000 tonnes of pumpkins are wasted every year - they are carved then chucked out. We will have a Bake-Off so people can come with their carved pumpkin - there will be a prize for the best one - and also bring the innards cooked in different ways.

Coming off the back of the Great British Bake-Off should be a good thing.

'I've tried doing things with the seeds before, drying them and trying to make a picture with them, but it has never really worked so we want to share ideas about what to do with them.

'A few days after Halloween you are left with a concave heap of pumpkin but we will be sharing a list of places where they can be recycled around Dereham and more ideas what to do with them.

'We need to spread the word and raise awareness about recycling. There are designated points to recycle them so they can be put in local composts or allotments.'

Mrs Hughes Wade said the party would be a very informal event, the cafe will be open and children can run around in their field.

A face painter will be on hand to create frightfully fiendish designs for children before they go trick-or-treating.

'There will be a bit of music and people can bring their food or a recipe and we can all have a taste of each others' creations,' she said.

'We want to get a little community together. Life in the countryside can be really isolating so this is a bit of fun to bring people together.'

The Pumpkin Party at the Fire Pit Camp is from 10am to 3pm on Saturday, October 31.

For more information visit the Fire Pit Camp Facebook page at www.facebook.com/thefirepitcamp.

Are you supporting an unusual campaign? Email kathryn.cross@archant.co.uk.