Oasis fans who missed out on securing tickets for the band’s reunion tour can see the Gallagher brothers up close and personal in straw form at a Cambridgeshire scarecrow festival.
Great Paxton Scarecrow Festival returned on September 14 and has seen locals recreate musicians including Taylor Swift – 22 hat included – and Oasis in straw form and given the names T’Haylor Swift and Scarecr-Oasis, respectively.
Liam Gallagher’s signature parka and a pair of sunglasses is worn by one of the scarecrows, while the other is holding a guitar and donning a checked shirt and a wig which bears a striking similarity to Noel Gallagher’s real hairstyle.
Other creative offerings include a take on the Queen of Hearts from Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland called Off with her Hay’d, a recreation of The Fat Controller and Thomas the Tank Engine called Off the Rails and a scarecrow hanging out of a bin with the name A Wheelie Bad Day.
The festival was founded by Great Paxton local Joanna Clark, 47, during lockdown, in 2020.
For the the past two years, it has been run by a committee, including Ms Clark and five others between the ages of 43 and 49.
Rachael Martin, 43 – one of the committee members who is also landlady at The Bell, a pub in Great Paxton – told the PA news agency most of the scarecrows have been made with straw, while others have been made from materials including pallets, paper and even bedding.
Reminiscing on the origin of the festival, she said: “It started four years ago as a crazy – too many wines – bored Jo idea in lockdown. Then just got bigger.
“Over the years, there have been some real stand out ones and some hilarious ones.
“We had the Queen, Beatrix Potter, Peter Rabbit to Ironing Man (a scarecrow Iron Man from Avengers stood at an ironing board).
“This year there were 57, but we have had up to 90 in the past.”
The festival does not have a theme and never has as the committee hope this allows people to “use their imagination” more.
It has taken roughly six months to plan for the event and has been well-liked by locals and those further afield alike since its inception.
“It means a lot to Jo who is the founder, but the village love it as do the visitors every year,” Ms Martin said.
“The hard work is getting people to make them. But they (the villagers) always come good.
“It’s the best village community event without a doubt.”
The scarecrows stay up until midday on Sunday, with cash prizes up for grabs for the best offerings later that day.
