OVER a thousand people visited Pewsey over the weekend to take part in the first ever Pewsey Carnival Scarecrow Trail, raising money for the upcoming festivities.

Starting on Sunday (August 28) the trail took over the village for the Bank Holiday, with 47 scarecrows dotted around focusing on a world of sports theme. Participants paid £2 for a programme where they were tasked with naming all of the scarecrows they could find.

Carol Parsons, organiser and the Pewsey Carnival vice chairman, said: “I don’t know the full number of people who came but I am sure that it was over a thousand. This was the first ever trail we have done so it was completely new to us. Our theme, the world of sports, covered everyone from past and present Olympians to footballers, unfortunately due to the bad weather on Sunday one of the scarecrows was washed away. My daughter Hannah made the programme herself, she is only 14, but she designed it all with the carnival colours. The whole event was a real family effort.”

People from all over Pewsey created scarecrows for the trail, receiving praise from Mrs Parsons and the carnival committee for their dedication and creativity.

“Residents and shop keepers got involved with it, it was really good. We had a great mixture of scarecrows, Eddie the Eagle was a very popular one. We have had lots of lovely feedback from people who took part in the trail, it was a real carnival atmosphere, and it had a special feel to it. Everyone put in so much effort, it was a great show from Pewsey, I am really proud and thankful,” added Mrs Parsons.

The carnival committee also showed their gratitude to the owners of Cooper’s Field who hosted the start and finish line for the trail.

“Micky High and John Holmes kindly managed the starting point with the marquee, they were fantastic. This is definitely something we will be doing next year. The winners of the trail will be announced at the closing ceremony of the carnival on September 18 and the winner of the best scarecrow will also be announced,” said Mrs Parsons.