WICKED witches, spooky skeletons and ghoulish ghosts gathered for an unusual karate club meeting last week.

To mark Halloween, students at Matt Fiddes Martial Arts in Basingstoke dressed up in a bid to scare off their opponents.

The pupils of all ages ditched their usual dobok-dress for something more scary.

One youngster dressed as an evil witch - complete with a black hat while two others opted for glow-in-the-dark skeleton attire, with face paint to match.

Lead instructor Miss Bushnell complimented the classmates for their enthusiasm.

She said: “While we take our martial arts seriously, we always enjoy the added fun of training in fancy dress at Halloween. Our students did themselves proud and came in a whole range of spooky costumes.”

The club welcomes children from as young as the age of three. Organisers say the benefits are numerous with children learning team building, social skills and discipline.