THE most famous scarecrow of all was brought to life in Blackrod.
Worzel Gummidge was among the star guest at this year's Blackrod Scarecrow Festival, which was back this week after taking a break over the pandemic.
And he brought with him Saucy Nancy - of course.
Blackrod Scarecrow Festival is one of the oldest such events in the borough.
And it was back bigger than ever.
Families enjoyed the wonderful creations, of which there were more than 100.
Blackrod Scarecrow Festival. Pics: Susain Swain.
Scarecrows included a 'human scarecrow' in the form of Wurzel Gummidge, Boris Johnson, a homage to Call The Midwife, pirates, the minions, and a scarecrow showing how cricket scores were kept in the 1750s.
A programme showed where all the scarecrows were on a map along with food stalls.
Blackrod Cllr David Grant for Horwich and Blackrod First Independents was on the committee for the festival, involved in the organisation of the day.
He said: “I went around the community; it was incredible and a fantastic event.
“It was great to see it back again after the two-year break due to Covid and I was involved in the committee to set it up and help fundraise for the event.
"All of the scarecrows were fantastic and it was wonderful to see the whole community getting involved as there were lots of themes and creative designs.
“The community always comes together for this, it gets people out and really shows off the village because people walk around and see everything.”
Blackrod Scarecrow Festival. Pictures by Bolton News Camera Club member Susan Swain
This was Blackrod’s 14th annual scarecrow festival.
For those not able to walk, a short driving tour was also available showcasing all the main scarecrows on display.
Louise Bateson said: “This is by far the best scarecrow festival! We come every year from near Ormskirk. So many scarecrows to see and they are brilliant, too. Lots of places serving refreshments.”
There were 152 registered scarecrows for this year, which is more than in 2019, where there were 135.
Lisa Warburton said: “Can I just say a massive thank you to all your organisers, seeing our village so full of life today after the worst two years has been so amazing and you should be so proud, you have done amazing.”
The Blackrod annual scarecrow festival will be back next year.
Pictures by Bolton News Camera Club member Susan Swain
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