High Wych Scarecrow Festival a 'triumph' after organisers dedicate event to Queen Elizabeth II
Mary Poppins dropped in via her umbrella and Harry Potter conjured up his magic for the children at the High Wych Scarecrow Festival over the weekend.
The annual festival went ahead after "careful thought" by organisers following the death of the Queen on Thursday.
St James' churchwarden Sam Clark posted on Facebook: "After careful thought as to what we feel appropriate, particularly given the abiding emphasis the late Queen gave to bringing communities together as mother, grandmother and great-grandmother, we have decided to continue with the scarecrow festival but move the focus to the playing field."
The festival held on Saturday and Sunday was rebranded as being held in dedication to "our beloved Queen Elizabeth II" and the 45 stalls planned for St James' churchyard were moved to the village playing field. This enabled the church to be open for the community to reflect and remember the life of the Queen.
Visitors to the festival were greeted with colourful tortoises made by the community in workshops held at the church from recycled materials. And the scarecrows were peppered throughout the village, all along High Wych Road and beyond.
Besides Mary Poppins and Harry Potter, who had a scarecrow and a Hogwarts Express in his honour to mark 25 years since the first book, creations included those for Peppa Pig, Miss Piggy, Postman Pat, Wallace and Gromit, Mr Bean and the characters and the house from the movie Up!
Those popping into the playing field could visit stalls for local charities and the local history society and Rivers Heritage Site and Orchard which was selling bottles of juice from apples picked there.
The consensus of opinion was that it was a great success with one visitor posting on Facebook that it was a "triumph" adding the use of the field had made a big difference.
First place in the scarecrow competition went to the scene from Up!, second was Little Red Riding Hood and third Bertie Bassett. Peppa Pig family, Looking for Moles, Mary Poppins and Where’s Wally? were highly commended.
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