VILLAGE residents have pulled out all the stops for a 10th anniversary fundraising scarecrow festival.

Coastal villages Hinderwell and Port Mulgrave, near Whitby, held the first scarecrow festival in 2004 to raise cash for the local sports club and the event has now grown to include almost 100 creations and regularly raise more than £1,500 for local charities including the Great North Air Ambulance.

Resident Carol Barker said: “This year the residents have really excelled themselves and there are 97 scarecrows to see, sited in almost every garden, outside the pubs and shops and at Long Row, the cliff top cottages that form the main street of Port Mulgrave, where every house has a display.

“There are no rules as to how you make a scarecrow or what subject you choose, and this year's judge was John Freeman, past Mayor of Whitby and a renowned artist.”

The winner this year was a Lion King made of straw by Steven Savage and family; second prize went to Joanne Muir at Greylands Farm for a group of scarecrows depicting BBC TV's Countryfile, including John Craven, Julia Bradbury and Adam Henson, with Eric the Highland Bull and many other hand crafted animals. A Moulin Rouge scene won third prize for Pat Bowes with her can-can dancers on a stage.

The festival started with a Gala Day which raised around £1,000 for the Hinderwell and District Sports Club.

The scarecrows display is free but there is a collection for the Great North Air Ambulance, which usually nets more £350 for the week.

The Scarecrow Committee runs Scarecrow HQ and Café throughout the week, which raises around £1,500 towards village good causes.

The scarecrows will be out until Sunday.