Final Pudsey Scarecrow Festival draws crowds in the sun and rain

Words and photos: Kelvin Wakefield

Additional photos: Catriona Mossop

The hardy folk of Pudsey braved a morning downpour and were rewarded with a sun-kissed and fun packed afternoon at Sunday’s Scarecrow festival. 

The theme for this year’s festival was royalty through the ages. There were scarecrows dotted around the Pudsey Park as well as on a scarecrow trail across Pudsey.

The main events took place in the park, where musicians and other performers entertained the crowds. The bandstand show included a set from Ryan Godfrey on guitar, singing a string of popular covers. 

An afternoon presentation ceremony saw Cllr Trish Smith (Reform, Pudsey) and His Majesty’s representative Dr Manoj Joshi award prizes to the winners of various creative categories.

Dr Joshi also gave a speech, commending Pudsey’s community spirit. He said he was very impressed with Cllr Smith and her team of volunteers for making the festival so incredibly successful. He was in turn presented with a Pudsey Bear.

Here’s a slideshow of Kelvin Wakefield’s photos from the event:

Many stalls from local groups and businesses were set up, with hot food and drink served too. Several charities were there to support the festival and raise awareness of their activities, including John Knapton from the Friends of Pudsey Roller, who are working on the restoration the steam engine that was formerly placed in Pudsey Park.

TIA greyhound rescue also hosted a popular tombola.

Here are some photos taken by community reporter Catriona Mossop:

Prior to the event, organisers had announced that this year’s festival would be the last.

Posting on Facebook, they said: “Over the years, the festival has brought some fantastic creations to the streets of Pudsey and given families a reason to get out, explore the town and enjoy something a little different together.

“However, like many long-running community events, things have gradually changed. The number of scarecrow entries has fallen year on year, with only around 20 entries received for this year’s festival. At the same time, it has become increasingly difficult to find enough volunteers to organise and run an event which takes a considerable amount of work behind the scenes.

“This wasn’t an easy decision, but quite simply, the amount of time and work required from an increasingly small group of volunteers has become difficult to sustain, alongside falling participation.

“Community events only exist because people are willing to give their time to make them happen, and the people involved in Pudsey Scarecrow Festival have changed over the years too. After careful consideration, we feel that now is the right time to bring the festival to a close.”

Additional reporting: John Baron

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