Villagers and visitors in Chinnor will be able to follow a fun-filled trail of scarecrows dressed as mountaineers, surfers, skiers and scuba divers this weekend.

The theme of this year’s trail is Dreaming of a Holiday with 22 scarecrows imagining trips everywhere from Lapland to Hawaii and St Tropez to the Galapagos Islands.

Just some of the exhibits, which are spread all around the village, are entitled Staycation, Fishing at Hempton Field and La Vie en Rose.

The trail is the brainchild of Chinnor’s Christian Aid Group and all proceeds will go towards supporting their work.

Further attractions on the road include a Christian Aid Café, serving light refreshments, with bacon butties and sausage in a roll, a Fair Trade Stall, selling lots of goods plus homemade jams, and there will be musical entertainment from the Cahoots Duo and a Hedgehog Funday.

The scarecrow trail was born last October as an innovative and socially-distanced way to bring the local community together during the pandemic.

The theme was “Activities in Lockdown” and a scarecrow Zoom meeting, a ‘Reluctant DIY Man’ and a straw-filled baker were just some of the exhibits.

It brought together all ages from primary school pupils to residents at a care home and £1,000 was raised despite gusty winds and pouring rain.

Organiser Mavis Shortman said: “Climate change is affecting many countries with extreme weather causing cyclones and drought. In Malawi, flooding has destroyed crops and livestock making food scarce. In contrast, Rose in Kenya does not have enough water to grow crops to support her family and protect them from coronavirus.

“Christian Aid has been working for more than 75 years to create a world where our global neighbours can live a full life, free from poverty. It currently works in 29 countries with people of all faiths and none, to stand together for dignity, equality and justice.

“We hope people enjoy our Scarecrow Trail and thank them for helping Christian Aid to continue making this change.”

Mrs Shortman, a member of St Mary’s Church, Thame, said: “Chinnor is an incredibly supportive community.

“What has been really exciting for us has been seeing how people right across the community have welcomed the opportunity to join in. We have strengthened links with a care home and have had lots of young families take part either by creating one or following the trail.

“People have spoken of how much fun last year's was. We are thrilled because the aim was to bring a smile to people’s faces and at the same time help people living in desperate poverty across the world.”

Details can be found in programmes available from Manor Stores in the village or from Mavis Shortman at shortmantm@gmail.com or 01844 350014.