VILLAGERS in Urchfont are putting on the glitz to create entries for this year's scarecrow festival which has an At The Oscars theme.

It is likely that for one weekend only the likes of Eddie Redmayne, Kate Winslet and Meryl Streep will all be making an appearance in the village.

The event on May 2, 3 and 4 will celebrate its 18th year and organisers say it was the first scarecrow festival to be staged in Wiltshire and possibly the south of England.

Among the many creating a scarecrow for the trail are the Spencer family. Dad Greg, mum Kate and daughters Millie, seven, and Darcy, five will be making a scarecrow for the fourth year running.

Mr Spencer said: "We all really enjoy it. The girls love arts and crafts. It is quite competitive in the village to make the best scarecrow but we just love taking part. We started ours during the school Easter holidays but we still have quite a bit to do."

The family is re-using a scarecrow of Tina Turner that they made two years ago but it is being given a makeover as a Disney character.

Robert Pendry, chairman of Urchfont Scarecrow Festival Charity, said: "The festival is based on an idea originally suggested by a villager who had seen something similar in Derbyshire.

"It started in 1997 as a small scale event to raise money for the refurbishment of the village hall. Its success surpassed all expectations and it has continued to grow, becoming a major local event and attracting thousands of visitors each year."

Up to 50 scarecrows will be on display across the May bank holiday weekend and people will be able to follow the trail from the village pond around Urchfont guessing the names of the exhibits as they go.

Profits are used for benefit of the local community and in the past has included major donations to the Village Hall Extension Fund, The Community Shop, The Playground Appeal, and The Church Roof Repair Fund, together with numerous smaller donations to local community groups and organisations.

In 2014 donations totalling well over £23,000 were made to nearly 30 different local good causes. For several years the Scarecrow Festival has also made substantial donations to the Wiltshire Air Ambulance. In 2014 this donation once again amounted to £2000, making a total of £13,000 since 2006.