Stolen Droxford mouse scarecrow found in Medstead playground 16 miles away
Nigel SpelmanA mouse scarecrow that disappeared after a spate of vandalism has been found 16 miles away.
Mr Mouse was one of 93 models displayed across Droxford in Hampshire during September for a festival which is hosted every two years.
Other scarecrows were also taken and some beheaded on Saturday, the night before the village contest.
Mr Mouse was discovered on Wednesday along with the heads of two others in Medstead, Hampshire.
Nigel SpelmanA resident spotted the model perched on a children's ride in a playground and contacted the scarecrow festival's Facebook page.
Nigel Spelman, an assistant festival organiser, travelled to the village where he also found the head of an NHS nurse model and part of the "Bill and Ben" display.
"I really would have liked to have found the others but I have had a good search around," he told the BBC.
The festival was created by village residents in 2017 and this year involved 93 scarecrows, including Queen Elizabeth II, Paddington Bear, The University of Droxford and The Mask.
People could attend for free and organisers set up a webpage for donations to go towards youth projects in the village.
The first incident of vandalism was on 18 September when a punk scarecrow disappeared.
In response, the creator of the punk band display transformed it into a "crime scene", with mock police tape, a forensic scientist scarecrow and another scarecrow in a suit, named DI Gummidge.
Another resident is a carpenter and created mock stocks, joking that they were "for the proper punishment of scarecrow thieves and vandals".
Droxford Scarecrow Festival will run until 2 October.
Debbie Foster
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