Friends of Burford, on behalf of Burford school in Marlow Bottom, rallied together this half term to create a fun community event for Marlow Bottom, and the local area, to enjoy whilst raising much needed funds for the school.
The Parent Teacher association raised an incredible £6,502 for the school by introducing Marlow Bottom’s First Annual Scarecrow Festival to the village.
Friends of Burford challenged the residents and businesses of Marlow Bottom to come up with the funniest and most creative scarecrows and display them at the front of their property between 24th October and the 1st November. Over 140 scarecrows were displayed around Marlow Bottom, with 96 official entries into the competition and approximately 1,200 maps across the week. Winners were announced for the Most Creative, The Funniest and Best Business and Best Selfie.
Those entering a scarecrow were asked to make a donation to the fund and then maps of the trail were sold in local venues Tin Town Coffee and The Barn Club or via the Just Giving page for £2. All visitors following the 8.5 mile trail were asked to adhere to all social distancing and current government guidelines.
Ian Garner, Head Teacher at Burford School, says: “In these unsettled times it has been great to see the community come together and back an event which supports the school in such a significant way. As well as the huge numbers attending, the contributions from the community in creating the scarecrows and the generosity in the level of donations given has been humbling to see. As Friends of Burford plays such an important role in supporting the school financially, this event will make a huge difference to their ongoing support of the school.“
Chief organiser of the Scarecrow Festival and member of Friends of Burford, Cheryl Nichols, says “We are over the moon with how successful our first Scarecrow Festival has been. With having to cancel so many of our normal fundraising events for this year, it was great we were still able to put this on. Not only because of the much needed funds it has raised for Burford school but for the joy and real sense of community spirit it has evoked in Marlow Bottom and everyone who walked the trail. During these challenging times, everyone is looking for a reason to smile and we are so happy we could do our bit and want to thank everyone who supported us. People are already asking about next years!!”
Gallery
Here’s the full gallery of photos we originally shared on social media, but note this is just a small fraction of the total entries!
