The Belmont Scarecrow Festival returned for another year of fun last week ­— with the winners announced at the annual Belmont Village Fair.

The fair was held over the weekend and featured stalls from the local Northern Monkey brewery, Greenhalgh’s bakery, and Backup Charity, which supports young people in the Bolton area.

The winning scarecrows were Mary Poppins, in first place, and a suffragette in second place.

Picture by Henry LisowskiPicture by Henry Lisowski

The prizes for the winner included a locally crafted wooden trophy, and a bottle of wine.

Margaret Phillips, who acts as the scarecrow manager for the Belmont Village Fair, recalled the origins of the Scarecrow Festival.

She said: "We used to put up scarecrows during the pandemic while everyone was cooped up inside, just as a way of cheering people up as they walked past.

“That has since evolved into the scarecrow festival, which runs for a week before culminating in the village fair on the Saturday.”

Picture by Henry LisowskiPicture by Henry Lisowski

The scarecrow festival had been meant to continue until Sunday 30 June, when the village celebrates St Peter’s Day with an outdoor service.

Margaret said: “However, it was called off due to the spot of bad weather over the weekend”, added Margaret.

The festival and fair raised money for a variety of local community projects, such as the maintenance of the village’s defibrillator, and the construction of a community garden and church hall

Margaret, reflecting on the festival and fair, added: “It was really good to see all the community associations coming together, including the WI, Mothers’ Union, and the local history society. We’re looking forward to holding the scarecrow festival and fair again next year.

“This year we had live music on offer as well, which meant the fair ended up running over by two hours. People just wanted to stay!”