Haddenham Scarecrow Festival 'exceeds all expectations'

Francesca Flaxton, main organiser of the annual Haddenham Scarecrow Festival, said:

"The festival, which was held for the first two weeks in June, has exceeded all possible expectations, not only in the record number of 140 entries, but also in terms of the huge sum raised.

"This year the HASG chose to give 100 per cent of the funds raised to the Buckinghamshire-based Medical Detection Dogs, specifically towards their current COVID-19 detection dogs project.

"During festival fortnight, very generous donations were made via the event’s JustGiving page, by BACS, via CAF accounts, by cheque, and in cash, further boosted by the addition of Gift Aid. At the end of the festival, we ambitiously estimated that the event could raise more than £4000.

"The fantastic news is that donations continued to be made throughout the summer [when it was still possible to browse an album depicting every scarecrow, via www.haddenham.net], and we are now delighted and thrilled to announce that, taking everything into account, the 2020 Scarecrow Festival has raised a staggering total of £5175.

"This is over five times more than the event has ever raised in its five year history."

You can see some of the entries by clicking hereRepresentatives from the Medical Detection Dogs charity, Chris Millard, Geoff Lambert and his ambassador dog, Buddy, came to Haddenham to receive a cheque from Francesca, on behalf of the Haddenham Association of Scouts and Guides (HASG).

She said “I am hugely proud on behalf of those in Haddenham who supported this event to present such a fantastic contribution towards the Medical Detection Dogs, which will make a real difference. The fact that this was raised in such challenging times during lockdown makes it all the more incredible”.

Although next year’s Haddenham Scarecrow Festival is highly unlikely to take place in such unique circumstances, the event will go ahead come what may!

So, organisers have asked residents to start planning your entry now and keep an eye on local media for dates and details of the 2021 festival.

Medical Detection Dogs is carrying out groundbreaking research to improve early diagnosis of cancer and other diseases.

They are also hoping to see if dogs can help detect Covid-19 in people.

Also Medical Alert Assistance Dogs are trained to support people with life-threatening health conditions, such as diabetes and epilepsy, saving their lives on a daily basis, and helping the NHS by keeping them out of hospital.