104 ‘royal’ scarecrows set
AVILLAGE in Herefordshire is celebrating the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee with a royalthemed scarecrow competition, crafting 104 figures to stand watch ahead of the weekend.
Wellington Village Fun Week is a local event organised every two years, and has this year been taken over by jubilee celebrations.
The week includes themed quizzes, picnics, fireworks and bingo, but many have also taken pride in designing lifesized Queens, Prince Philips and even royal guards for their gardens.
“The theme this year is kings, queens, princes, princesses or anything with a royal connection,” coorganiser Phil Smith, 68, told the PA news agency.
“For instance, the chapel in the village have done a display of William, the Queen, Philip and all the royal children as one display. We’ve probably got a dozen or so Queens dotted around ... and a few Purple Rain Princes.”
Wellington Village Fun Week has been running since 1972, with its scarecrow competition first taking place in 2006.
An independent judge from outside the village will study the figures on Saturday night and announce the winner at a local picnic, where a light show and band will also feature.
Other creations include Princess Fiona from the 2001 film Shrek, Queen frontman Freddie Mercury, and Princess Leia from Star Wars.
“Some of them are really impressive,” Mr Smith said.
“My personal one is the Queen with a parachute, and she’s parachuting into my garden, she is stuffed with straw. Some people are so artistic and have such imaginative minds. Everyone seems to have grasped it really well.”
Mr Smith said it took him around four days to finish his scarecrow creation of the Queen, but added that the competition was about the “taking part” for the villagers.
“(The prize) might be a couple of bottles of wine and a box of chocolates – the prizes aren’t important, although it is competitive,” he said.
“It’s the prestige, but it’s done in a lighthearted way – it’s banter more than anything.
“Everybody deserves to let their hair down a little bit. Two years of lockdown hasn’t been good for anybody but we’re just taking the opportunity to give something back, and everybody has responded brilliantly.”
The village’s selffunded Fun Week is something local people often return to even after moving away, Mr Smith said.
“We’ve done it for a long time now and you watch the children grow up and take part, and they always come back to the village during Fun Week,” he said.
“Even when they are 20 or 30 and they’ve gone off to university, they always seem to come back. Deep down, it’s a sense of belonging and the community which they really like. It’s a bit more deep-rooted than just something we put on for the village.” Mr Smith added that 70 years on the throne was something he “admires” about the Queen.
“The admiration I think everyone’s got of the Queen, the fact she dedicated her life to the country and the fact that she’s actually stuck to her word for 70 years, I think everybody admires that and I think that’s what’s in my mind.”
Wessex travelling to Northern Ireland.
■ 4.30pm: The Epsom Derby takes place. Avid racegoer the Queen is no longer planning to attend, although members of the royal family are expected to be there.
A guard of honour of up to 40 of the Queen’s past and present jockeys is due to line the course.
■ 7.40pm: Royals arrive at the BBC’s Platinum Party at the Palace concert. ■ 8pm-10.30pm: The open-air show in front of the palace, featuring stars including Queen + Adam Lambert, Alicia Keys, Duran Duran and Diana Ross, is broadcast live on BBC One from 7.30pm.
Sunday
Street parties and Big Jubilee Lunches are staged across the country.
The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall join a flagship feast at The Oval cricket ground in south London, while Edward and Sophie meet people creating the ‘Long Table’ down on The Long Walk leading up to Windsor Castle.
■ 2.30pm-5pm: The Jubilee Pageant, also being shown on BBC One, takes place in central London, with a 3km carnival procession featuring a cast of thousands, including puppets, celebrities and tributes to the seven decades of the Queen’s reign. It will move from Horse Guards, along Whitehall to Admiralty Arch, and down The Mall to the Palace.
The finale will feature Ed Sheeran performing and singing the national anthem with close to 200 national treasures in front of the Queen’s official residence. It is hoped the Queen will make a balcony appearance as the festivities end.