Scaring crows kind of goes against the grain with us. In fact, ever since singing along with the crows in the Disney film 'Dumbo' I've had a bit of a soft spot for them. So when we decided to get involved with the famous (in the East Riding) Muston Scarecrow Festival, we decided we'd have to make an un-scarecrow. A scarecrow that might welcome birds rather than frighten them.
How our involvement came about isn't straightforward, as these things rarely are. It all started with a phone call from Muston resident, Malcom Johnstone. About a month ago he started building a model of Bempton Cliffs for a display in All Saints Church, in the heart of the village. The theme of 'Coast to Coast' inspired Malcom to attempt to recreate nearby Bempton Cliffs in miniature - complete with tiny visitor centre on top and little puffins below. We were invited to give advice and tips as Malcom researched the cliffs in detail to make them as accurate as possible.
However, having seen the impressive results of Malcom's sterling efforts, it seemed only fair that we rolled up our sleeves and got stuck in - literally. But with only a day to go before the start of the festival, we desperately needed reinforcements if we were to get our un-scarecrow to the church on time. Luckily, we found an enthusiastic team at a local care home for the elderly. Residents at Mallard Court in Bridlington agreed to spend a sunny afternoon making a jolly scarecrow to sit in the pew next to the model. Activites co-ordinators Sue Weldon and Steve Moss set up an work area and in no time at all, we settled down to some serious paper scrunching.
Tom and Nancy took the lead on packing out the body. And boy did it take some packing! 15 copies of the Bridlington Free Press later and we'd just about got a human shape.
Further assistance turned up as friends and family arrived to bolster the workforce. 18 month old Darcy, Tom's great grand-daughter, even managed to get in on the act. She proved to be a dab hand at paper tearing.
Creating the head almost stumped us. After a bit of trial and error, we struck on the idea of using an upturned bucket with, to highlight the connection with the sea, shells for the eyes and nose. The mouth we cut from a length of rope and it naturally fell into a smile - a good sign.
With everything in place, all we had to do was come up with a name. So what do you call the un-scariest scarecrow in town? 'Sunshine' , said Nancy. Which seemed absolutely perfect.
Once he was kitted out in RSPB clothing, given some wellies and a pair of binoculars he was ready for off. And as an un-scarecrow, he was a huge success. I can officially report that not a single creature we saw was spooked by him.
The Muston Scarecrow Festival continues until Sunday, 3 August. Pop along and say hello to Sunshine.