Village scarecrows raise smiles amid lockdown

Held every June, the Fete takes place among the 17th-century stocks on the village green next to Saint Francis Hospice. Our Hospice has always enjoyed setting up a stall for locals to buy homemade gifts to raise money for our patients' care.

With scarecrows exempt from social distancing and locals in need of cheer amid lockdown, the Fete's organisers decided that the competition on who could create the best one should remain. In another show of our community coming together during the pandemic, scarecrows soon adorned people's front gardens and the village green.

"The scarecrows have put smiles on so many people's faces," revealed Jenny Gwinn, Chair of the Havering-atte-Bower Conservation Society.

A scarecrow in the guise of Henry VIII complete with a straw beard was crowned the winner. Bringing things from the 16th century to the 21st, we even had a stuffed Boris Johnson. Our entry, decorated in our famous Saint Francis Hospice orange, also received many accolades. The Havering-atte-Bower Village Fete and scarecrow competition will return in a jam-packed 2021.

Here are some of the locals' efforts. Viewer discretion is advised; these scarecrows are scary.