VISITORS descended on Hoddlesden for the village’s first ever scarecrow festival at the weekend.

The East Rural Scarecrow Festival saw dozens of villagers and local school children design their own model creations.

The new festival was spearheaded by Darwen councillor Julie Slater.

She said: “We wanted something which would create community cohesion and be fun at the same time.”

As well as the festival, the annual summer fair at St Paul’s School also took place on Saturday. The event featured a barbecue, tug of war, face painting and a bouncy castle.

Local vicar the Rev Terry Dyer also joined in the fun when he put his head behind the stocks and got a soaking.

The scarecrows were judged by a team comprising mayor Coun Sheila Williams, Rossendale and Darwen MP Jake Berry, and Tim Birch, from the Darwen and Rural Neighbourhood Board.