Everything you need to know as East Boldon Scarecrow festival returns

The festival will see more than 100 scarecrows line the streets and gardens of East Boldon village on Saturday, September 14.

This year’s theme ‘At the Movies’ has encouraged residents, local businesses and community groups to create characters inspired by all their favourite films.

Visitors will get the chance to judge the best entry for themselves, with a trail around the village to spot the straw figures and the opportunity to vote for their favourites.

The event, which is held between 12pm and 5pm, will also include a full day of family fun at Grange Park, East Boldon.

Live music will provide entertainment throughout the day, alongside children’s activities including crafts, a climbing wall, face painting and the largest inflatable obstacle course in South Tyneside.

There will be competitions for the best film character created out of fruit and vegetables and the best baking skills, as well as a raffle and prize draws throughout the day.

Food vendors will also be on hand to refuel residents, with the Friends of East Boldon Parks tea tent offering homemade treats.

New for this year, people can now also enjoy the new additions for an extra day, with scarecrow forms for the trails available from Black’s Corner from 12pm - 2pm on Sunday, September 15.

The scarecrow festival, which was held for the first time in 2018, is organised and run by the Friends of East Boldon Parks group.

It raises vital funds to help in the upkeep of the local parks and fund other local community events throughout the year.

Friends of East Boldon Parks secretary, Rebecca Higgins said: “I’m hopeful that it’s going to be even better than last year. There’s a lot more activities for the kids and things going on.”

“It has been really well supported by the community, everyone has been very generous donating raffle prizes and goods,” continued Rebecca. “The whole community is really looking forward to it.”