The sixth annual scarecrow festival will take place from Saturday May 24 to Sunday June 1 and organisers are hoping to beat last year's record breaking number of visitors which exceeded 4,000.

Festival organiser Jilly Rewse-Davies said: "We were bowled over by the number of visitors who came to see the scarecrows last year, but we are hoping to break even more records this year! The festival itself is so much fun but behind the scenes it's a serious business.

"Not only does the festival act as the principal fundraising activity for the upkeep of our village hall - helping to ensure the hall offers a wide range of social and sporting activities for everyone in the village and neighbouring area - it also brings villagers together in a bit of light-hearted competition."

Organisers are expecting more than 100 entries in three different categories, novelty, traditional and book characters and for the first time ever the competition will be opened up to the wider public with an 'out of town' scarecrow category with a top prize of £50 up for grabs.

First, second and third prizes in this category will be awarded by a panel of judges including the outgoing chairman of the East Riding of Yorkshire Council, the editor of the Driffield Times and the Driffield Post and past and present headmasters of the village school.

This year's festival promises to be a fun day out for all the family with treasure hunts and trail maps and a craft fair in the village hall, where visitors can enjoy delicious homemade cakes, sandwiches and snacks, take part in the tombola or enter the prize draw.

The festival begins at 9.30am on Saturday May 24 and ends with the prize draw and prizegiving from 3.30pm on Sunday June 1 in the village hall which is open daily from 10am to 5pm.

l To enter a scarecrow in the 'out of town' category please contact Mrs Rewse-Davies on (01377) 236641 for more information and an entry form.