Shropshire village goes scarecrow crazy
SpongeBob Square Pants and Casper the ghost were among the attractions in a Shropshire village when it staged an annual event.
About 12 scarecrows were on show in Weston Lullingfields, near Baschurch, for the village's Scarecrow Festival and Trail Quiz.
The theme for yesterday's event was A Day At The Movies and SpongeBob and Casper were among the fitting scarecrows on the day, which raised money for the village church.
John Russell, one of the organisers, said: "I'm not sure how much we raised yet as there is till totting up to be done but I imagine it will be almost £500.
"That is not as much as in previous years but we were hampered by the weather. It really poured down early on yesterday but fortunately the number of visitors picked up remarkably well later on.
"It was still a very successful and worthwhile day.
"It brought a lot of people together and created a nice vibe in the village.
"People traditionally come out of their houses to have a look at the scarecrows, while others drive around in their cars.
"The idea is to raise money for the church.
"The last time we held the event we had a fairy time and nursery theme which worked very well.
"This year was a day at the movies and I opted for a Mary Poppins scarecrow.
"A judge went around all the scarecrows. There was a judged winner and a public vote winner, and there were prizes for both them as well as a prize for the person who did best in the village quiz."
"The fun started at 10am at the village hall, which also served teas and refreshments, where visitors were able to get maps of the trail and quiz forms.
Mr Russell added: "We have been in the village seven years and when we arrived the event had been an off and on thing, which was held every two to three years.
"We have tried to hold it every year but had a year off last year.
"We are only a small village with about 200 inhabitants but we don't do too badly considering we are such a small village."
