Soggy start to 18th annual Torteval Scarecrow Festival

Birds gave the area a wide berth as the efforts of parishioners saw more than 50 exhibits placed around the trail through the parish lanes.

Overflow car parks were in use by 11am with hundreds of people already walking the trail.

It put event co-organiser Sue Brooks in a more upbeat mood yesterday.

‘We lost three vital hours yesterday [Saturday] as between 2pm and 5pm is always a busy time and it did put a bit of a dampener on things,’ she said.

‘But we’ve had a huge number of people here today from 9.30am and if the weather holds we should have good day.’

Rupert and Anna Isles, and children, Oscar 6, and Olive, 2, said they tried to get to the event every year.

‘I think it’s fantastic,’ said Mr Isles.

‘There’s always great humour and its very topical to what is going on in the world.

‘The kids love it too.’

Custodian Liz Price, 50, and oncology nurse, Jacqueline Domaille, 49, and their daughters, took about 90 minutes to walk the trail on Saturday. They were about two thirds around it when the heavens opened.

‘There’s some very clever satirical displays and I like the one about cutting the cable to France’ said Mrs Price.

‘We come every year as they always come up with something different and a lot of effort goes in to it.’

The Bailiwick’s director of public health, Dr Nicola Brink, ended what had been an extremely busy week for her by acting as judge for the day.

The event raises money for the Torteval Church.

The GSPCA and The Guernsey Cheshire Home were the beneficiaries from this year’s car park donations.