Vandals attack 'thank you NHS' scarecrow competition in Shropshire village
A scarecrow competition set up in a Shropshire village to thank the NHS for its services during the coronavirus crisis has been attacked by vandals.
Residents got together to organise the thoughtful event in Knowbury, Clee Hill, where a total of nine exhibits were stolen overnight on Tuesday.
Of those, eight scarecrows were later found dumped in nearby Ludlow. Those recovered included models of a bishop, fundraiser Captain Tom Moore, and Prime Minister Boris Johnson, the Prime Minister's newborn baby son Wilfred, and a clown.
A model of a sheep remains missing.
Competition organiser Victoria Bounds said: "As far I know some residents saw people in a large silver-coloured saloon type car doing it at about midnight.
"It has been reported to the police.
"We started the display at the beginning of May to raise money for the NHS and to show our support, and to cheer people up. We had about 50 put up and people have been loving it and have been coming out to see them.
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"It has really brought the people in the village together. We have had donations coming in.
"Now some have been stolen from along the main Caynham Road and at Angel Bank.
"Following a Facebook appeal we have managed to recover six of them. One lady and her young son found parts of a scarecrow strewn in their garden their home. It had been ripped apart which was quite traumatic for the child.
"When they have been found we have been able to go and collect them and put them back up. We're hoping to get them back because the people who made them have used items of sentimental value to create them and would like their items back, for example gardening decorations."
Miss Bounds said a similar vandalism incident happened during the first village scarecrow festival seven years ago.
She told how this competition came about: "We were carrying out lockdown deliveries when a lady told me how disappointed she was by not being able to attend any of the events she had in her diary.
"So we decided to do the scarecrows and old and young people have got involved."
Anyone who sees the missing scarecrows should email her via knowburyevents@gmail.com.
Knowbury resident Carol Hardy posted on Facebook: "Woke this morning to see that the head, including wig, glasses and hat, has been taken off of mine.
"What kind of person needs to destroy something that others have taken hours to make. These scarecrows are raising money for NHS charities for goodness sake.
"They should be ashamed of themselves."
