Make a scarecrow next Saturday

8:35am Saturday 5th July 2008

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NOW that the plants in the Victorian Cottage garden at the Dean Heritage Centre are springing into life, Nancy Jones and her team of volunteers have discovered that birds have shown a fondness for their carrots, cabbages, onions and peas.

So Nancy has asked the Heritage Centre's education officer Sarah Fuller to make a scarecrow to fend off the feathery thieves.

Using traditional materials such as hessian and straw, Sarah will be creating fearsome guards for the precious crop. Visitors to the centre on Saturday, July 12 from 10am will be invited to join Sarah and the team at the Heritage Centre as they put together the scarecrow.

As vegetable gardening sees a resurgence, gardeners are welcome to come to the centre to pick up traditional tips on how to scare off pests. For those visitors wanting something slightly smaller than a life-sized scarecrow, there will also be the opportunity to make authentic corn dollies - symbolic figures made from straw which have been associated with the gathering in of crops since pagan times.

It is hoped that the dollies will bring in a bumper harvest at the Heritage Centre.

Admission on the day is £4.90, or £2.50 for children. Concessions are £4.20 and children under-five go free.

For more information contact Gina Mills on 01594 822170.