Community fete at Cavendish, near Sudbury, more popular than ever with addition of straw-stuffed celebrities
An eye-catching cast of characters greeted visitors to Cavendish at the weekend as the village staged its first-ever scarecrow festival alongside the annual community fete.
Residents put their straw-stuffed creations - ranging from a spaceman to Bo-Peep to EastEnders Peggy Mitchell - on display in a four day trail, while business and clubs joined in during Saturday’s fete to raise money for the East Anglian Air Ambulance.
The fete run by Cavendish Community Council included dozens of stalls, a fun dog show, races, and an egg-throwing contest. It made around £3,800 for their funds which support local groups and events.
Organiser Peter Walton said: “It went brilliantly and was more popular than ever. We try hard to make it a real traditional village fete.”
Villagers and visitors flocked to the village green to enjoy attractions including a tug of war, sack races, a bottle stall tombola … plus the chance to compete in a wresting contest in sumo suits. “We hadn’t a clue how that was going to go, but it was incredibly popular especially with children,” said Peter.
“The egg throwing contest – where pairs of contestants throw eggs to each other and try not to drop them –took place at the end of the day. Everyone ends up egg-splattered and it tends to be the local cricketers who do best.
“Running the fete is hard work but we have a group of people who are very willing to help set up and clear away afterwards.
“I’d also like to thank landowners Brian Harvey, Peter Maddever, and Jenny and Andrew Clarke who allowed their fields to be used for parking.
Ellie Ling, who organised the scarecrow festival, said the response had been outstanding, and the imagination and enthusiasm shown was fantastic.
“She decided to stage it after realising how creative local people could be when she ran the village’s first Christmas tree festival last December.
“We have had such positive feedback and hope we might be able to do it again next year,” she said.
Scarecrow-makers taking part paid an entrance fee, but the total raised for the air ambulance would not be known until donations made into sealed buckets on the day had been counted, she added.
