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King and Queen on show at scarecrow festival

Louise Henson/PA Wire Scarecrows of King Charles and Queen Camilla Louise Henson/PA Wire
King Charles and Queen Camilla were spotted at the festival
  • King Charles, Shrek, and Vincent Van Gogh are among the "visitors" to a small town's annual scarecrow festival
  • Two local women, known as "the scarecrow ladies" started making scarecrows during lockdown to "make people laugh"
  • Last year's festival saw 900 people attend and raised £3,000 for the village.

King Charles III and Queen Camilla are among the eye-catching "visitors" to a small town's scarecrow annual festival.

Louise Henson, 56, and Lizzy Heritage, 49, are better known as "the scarecrow ladies" after launching the events and competitions in Llysfaen, Conwy county.

The two friends started getting creative with scarecrows outside their homes during lockdown to "make people laugh".

"There are lonely people in our community, and I think we've managed to help them and to give them a bit of a sense of purpose," said Lizzy.

Louise Henson/PA Wire ShrekLouise Henson/PA Wire
Shrek, Fiona and even Donkey made an appearance at the annual scarecrow festival in Llysfaen, Conwy county

This year's creations included a touch of royal flair with scarecrows of the King and Queen.

Other creations were in the shapes of Shrek, Fiona and Donkey from the Shrek films, and the artist Vincent Van Gogh.

Scarecrows of Gandalf, Mary Poppins and even Cledwyn's Kiosk from I'm A Celebrity, which was filmed at the nearby Gwrych Castle, also feature.

Lizzy said the scarecrow-related events she and Louise had hosted have "brought the community together through laughter and giggles".

"The feeling people have now is the feeling they had 40 or 50 years ago, where people didn't have social media and they got out to talk to their neighbours," she said.

Louise Henson/PA Wire Van Gogh scarecrowLouise Henson/PA Wire
Vincent Van Gogh was spotted complete with his painting supplies and bandaged ear

This year's scarecrow festival runs from 8 to 16 July and has seen 85 entries for the competition, some with three or four scarecrows in each scene.

The winner of the competition is gifted a box of beer from the local brewery, with about 10 tractors driving to the winner's house to present the prize.

After placing the scarecrows outside of their homes during the first Covid lockdown in October 2020, news spread via word of mouth and on social media.

"Before we knew it, it was like the M6 down here," said Louise.

Because of the level of attention the scarecrows received, Louise and Lizzy and their neighbours decided to do it again at Christmas and then again in the summer.

Last year's Halloween scare-fest, which was held at Lizzy's five-acre property, saw 900 people in attendance and raised £3,000 for the village.

The money raised from the events goes back into the community, including helping their local youth club, church, and school.

Louise said that the events have also helped herself and Lizzy, who are both originally from England, better get to know their community.

"We're very integrated in the community now, just from scarecrows, and I think we're putting on 11 events this year," she added.

"It's been lovely, it's a really nice feeling that we've been able to do this."