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Meldreth Scarecrow Festival: 11th-12th July

Plans cancelled? Diary a bit empty?

Join us for the first Meldreth Scarecrow Festival on the weekend of 11th to 12th of July

Craft, build and decorate your scarecrow on the theme of Children’s Entertainment

Prizes to be won for the best scarecrow

You are invited to join us for Meldreth’s first Scarecrow Festival. It is intended to be a fun, family-friendly event that can both inspire the crafters, makers and decorators out there and also provide an entertaining weekend of walks through the village to spot the creations. The event will be held on the weekend of 11th and 12th of July with the theme of Children’s Entertainment.

To accompany the festival, we have two mascots, Paddington the Scarecrow (see back cover) and Martha the Scarecrow (above) who will be on signs and event details. Please see the following page for further information. Full details are being finalised but the event can be followed on the Spotted in Meldreth Facebook page. If you don’t have access to Facebook and would like further information, then please email me using the address below.

Colouring Competition

Martha has lost her colour and needs help getting it back, so there will be a children’s colouring competition too. You can use the image on page 16 of this issue or can download a PDF to colour in here: https:// www.tammyfaires.com/free-stuff. Entries can be photographed and sent by email or put in an entry box in One Stop. There will be three age groups for the colouring competition: 4-6 years, 7-10 years and 11-14 years. Meldreth Matters is kindly providing a £10 voucher for the winner in each category.

Roger Faires roger.faires@googlemail.com

Meldreth Scarecrow Festival: 11th-12th July

When does it start and finish?

Please get your scarecrows up by 10.00am on the Saturday and away by Sunday Evening.

What are the prizes and how will they be judged?

There will be a top prize of a £50 Shepreth Wildlife Park voucher, kindly sponsored by TTP. Additional prizes will be awarded for “most accurate”, “most inventive” and “most entertaining” scarecrow and will be sponsored by local businesses. Judging is expected to be via a people’s choice vote, which will be held on Facebook.

Have you thought about an influx of visitors to the village?

This is a community activity to bring us together, keep the kids happy and give us something else to look at on our walks. It isn’t going to be advertised further afield.

What if I do not want or can’t make a scarecrow but am keen to get involved?

Spot the scarecrows and give your neighbours some support. There will also be a colouring competition for children.

Is the ambition for this to become an annual event?

Currently this is a one-off, but we shall see how things go. We are aware other villages run similar festivals.

Will there be a map guide to the scarecrows across the village?

The ambition is that one will be created but the core goal is participation.

Where can I safely put my scarecrow?

Please be mindful of where people will need to stand to view the scarecrow. Please don’t let the scarecrow cover the highway or footway in anyway.

Are you taking any COVID-19 measures?

As a community outdoor event, people should be stay alert to maintain social distancing and keep safe in line with the current government guidance.

Roger Faires