Scarecrows at the Hilcott trail proved they were made of sturdy stuff by managing to withstand two thunderstorms over the weekend.

Hundreds of visitors made their way along the trail during the two-day event in the village, near Pewsey, admiring the characters from classic musicals.

The event was organised by 16-year-old Matthew Wilson, of Harding Terrace, who was spurred on by the success of the inaugural trail last year.

A total of 27 scarecrows, including Saturday Night Fever and Pirates of Penzance, which were made by Matthew, lined the circular route which started from the Village Hall.

Matthew said: “It was slow on the Saturday, because there were two thunderstorms, but it picked up on the Sunday, when it was sunny and quite hot.”

Visitors ate tea and cakes in Hilcott Village Hall and burgers and ice creams in Yards Lane.

Matthew did most of the organising, but residents of the village and nearby Bottlesford gave a hand.

He said: “The barbecue went down really well, which is something we didn’t have last year.

“Sally Brass helped out a lot at the village hall and she seemed really happy with how the whole thing went.

“People are already starting to think about the theme for next year, but I’ll have a few months off before I start planning that.”

Trail visitors could vote for their favourite scarecrow on the route and Oklahoma!, created by Malcolm Baker of Yards Lane, came out on top.

They also had to guess what musical each scarecrow was designed to represent and Cathy Croom of Harding Terrace got the most correct answers.

It is not yet known how much money has been raised, but it will be divided between the village defibrillator fund and North Newnton Church.