WRESTLING, footballing and artistic scarecrows take over the kitchen garden at Trengwainton

AN annual scarecrow exhibition in the walled kitchen garden near Penzance is always an eagerly awaited event and this year’s theme is: When I grow up I want to be…

Around 60 children from Heamoor, St Mary’s CE and St Maddern’s schools made the scarecrows thanks to the creative skills of artist John Keys and volunteers from Trengwainton Garden, near Madron.

John led workshops in the schools and the children’s enthusiasm, talent and humour shine through in the finished articles.

Visitor experience officer Marina Rule said: "There are 13 scarecrows and they’re an eclectic mix of characters. There’s an artist painting a scene, a footballer kicking a ball, an army soldier scaling one of the walls and a member of the RNLI who is mid-rescue and hanging from a winch. They’re a really quirky bunch and we even have two wrestlers who are mid-bout."

The scarecrows are all set within the historic walled kitchen garden at Trengwainton and they’re an eccentric sight in amongst the fruit, vegetables and flowers.

Each of the five sections of the kitchen garden has its own distinct character, as did Sir Rose Price who in the early 1800s, built their overall size to the dimensions of Noah’s Ark in the bible: 300 cubits long x 50 cubits wide (400 feet x 67 feet).

Visitors to the garden can see the scarecrows any time during normal opening hours until the garden closes on October 27. Visit during August and you’ll be able to vote for your favourite in the second-hand bookshop.

Usual opening times for the garden are 10.30am-5pm, Sunday to Thursday.

For more information call 01736 363148 or visit www.nationaltrust.org.uk/trengwainton-garden.