SCARECROWS CHASE AWAY THE GLOOM OVER VIRUS
SCARECROWS dressed as key workers and a whole host of other characters are bringing a smile to people’s faces in one village on the edge of Carmarthen.
More than 30 of the adult-sized stuffed figures have appeared in front gardens across Abergwili in an attempt to brighten people’s days during the coronavirus lockdown.
Villager Rachel Moyles said she was inspired by a similar effort in England.
A village south of London in Surrey started seeing scarecrows pop up at the start of lockdown. It was followed by a village near Gainsborough in Lincolnshire last month, and then others across the UK.
Rachel said: “I saw it on the news and thought that was a fun idea and that why not do it here in Abergwili, too?”
She added: “We put our scarecrow out first with a note on it saying ‘Abergwili Scarecrow Fest - join in and make me a friend’.
“It grew from there and now there are all sorts of scarecrows, from those dressed as NHS workers, to even a Santa, Pavarotti and Mrs Brown’s Boys.”
While the scarecrows are no doubt raising smiles, there is good work being done with people being encouraged to pay £2 to put their scarecrow creations on display.
The money raised is going towards the Covid19 Appeal at the Hywel Dda Health Board Charities.
Rachel said: “There’s more scarecrows being made all the time and the project has only been running for just over a week, it’s really great and, of course, money raised is going to Glangwili Hospital and the NHS.”
There have also been prizes for the best dressed scarecrows, with local businesses donating the prizes up for grabs.
Rachel said any businesses in the Carmarthen area wishing to offer prizes are welcome to join in as the scarecrowing craze continues to grow.
The Abergwili scarecrows are yet another community effort during the pandemic, villagers pulling together to support each other’s wellbeing and also raising money for the frontline NHS staff battling the virus.
Any business wishing to offer a prize can contact Rachel on rachannmoyles@aol.co.uk