A POPULAR West Cumbrian scarecrow festival returned this weekend to much success with over 70 entries to the competition.
The Dean Arts and Scarecrow festival started in 2010 and is a biennial event. There were around 73 scarecrow entries for the 2024 competition in the villages of Dean, Branthwaite, Ullock and Deanscales.
The weekend saw a number of activities as well as many scarecrows on display, with visitors treated to the well-crafted displays and creations.
The festival started at 10am on Saturday May 4 and ended on the Bank Holiday Monday, with judges deciding the 2024 winner would be a marvellous creation inspired by the Disney Pixar film Up.
In joint second place was a display based on Jurassic Park titled 'Deanassic Park' and a fun loving display based on the popular Despicable Me film called 'Minions'.
One attendee to the festival said: "Well done. All the scarecrows were excellent with so much effort put into them. Thanks again for a brilliant festival Dean Arts & Scarecrow.
"We loved it and Astral Circus was fantastic too. Look forward to coming again in two years' time."
Another said: "What a fantastic morning we had cycling around the scarecrows. Well done to all the residents and volunteers that took part, it was awesome and brought a smile to our faces."
The festival will return again in 2026 and if this year is anything to go by, many residents and visitors will be eagerly awaiting to see the wonderful creations.
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