Picture Special: Garstang Scarecrow Festival is a triumph for town

What a winner! Garstang’s second Scarecrow Festival brought thousands of visitors to the Wyre market town.

This year’s three day Festival had a theme of heroes and villains and more than 160 scarecrows, created by residents and businesses, had a starring role in a unique festival of fun.

Delighted Mayor and Festival Chairman Coun Elizabeth Webster said: “It was a huge success. It was spectacular. Thousands of people flocked to Garstang and the town looked absolutely stunning.”

This year’s three day Festival had a theme of heroes and villains and more than 160 scarecrows, created by residents and businesses had a starring role in the festival of fun.

Organisers now hope it will become an annual event.

Attractions also included a family funfair on Moss Lane playing fields, a pebble hunt, food, drink and ice cream stalls, children’s entertainment, a mini zoo, face painting and sand art demonstrations and charity stalls.

Music from Blackpool Brass Band, DJ Darrel Edwards, Garstang Ukulele Band, Bowland Community Choir and Atomic Brass and dance from the Garstang School of Dance and Boddington Belles morris team added to the entertainment.

This year the festival also worked with Wyre Council and the Canals and Rivers Trust to offer free scarecrow spotting cruises along the Lancaster Canal to help mark the canal’s 200th birthday.

Coun Webster added: “The weather was on our side. The quality and creativity of the scarecrows was phenomenal. The standard (of entries)was very, very high this year. It was just amazing.”

Charities got a bumper boost at this year’s Garstang Scarecrow Festival.

Festival chairman and Garstang mayor Coun Elizabeth Webster said: “We had quite a few charity stalls there for CRY (Cardiac Risk in the Young), the Rosemere Cancer Fund, Huntington’s disease and Macmillan Cancer. They all did really well with their raffles and tombolas.”

In addition the Festival is donating its car park fee money to the Mayoral charities – CRY, Rosemere Cancer Foundation and the North West Air Ambulance .

Entertainment for the Festival, which opened on Friday and concluded on Sunday, also took place in Cherestanc Square.

The winners were announced by the mayor in Cherestanc Square on Sunday afternoon.

Results

Individual Children 10 and Under:1st️⃣ Big Bad Wolf – Lucy S; 2️nd⃣ Grufrom Despiccable Me – Freya and Raffy; 3rd️⃣Super Gran- Esme B.

Individual Children 11-17 Years:1st️⃣ Matilda and Miss Trunchball- Olivia and Ruby T; 2️nd⃣Incredible Hulk- Jacob, Amy, Lucy and Sarah;3️rd⃣ Station Way Spider-Man- Parys L.

Adults 18+:1st️⃣ Cops and Robbers- Katherine Tomlinson and Betty Lawrenson;2️nd:⃣Gru and Dr Nefarious- Ron Snowcroft;3rd️⃣ Ursula The Sea Witch – Rachael Gornall

Community Groups and Charities:1st️⃣Florence Nightingale- Abbeyfield House; 2nd Guy Fawkes- Cabus WI;3️rd⃣ Baby Groot- Garstang Arts Centre

Independent Traders and Businesses: 1st️⃣RAF Heroes -Royal Mail with Andrew Brown and Pam Hornby; 2nd️ Up The Beanstalk- Nicksons of Garstang;3rd️⃣ Wallace and Gromit (Matter of Loaf and Death)

Schools, Nurseries and Pre-schools:1st Lion King – Garstang Pre-School ; 2nd Dumbo- Calder Vale Primary School; 3rd️- Peter Pan- Discovery Vine Childcare.

People’s Vote Overall Winners:1st️ Matilda- Garstang Hookers; 2️nd- Ursula & Little Mermaid- Dapper & Dainty Childwear; 3rd- Monsters Inc – Lee Family and The IncREDibles – Boardmans.