ORGANISERS are hoping for a bumper year as the Blackrod Scarecrow Festival starts tomorrow.

The two day event, which continues on Sunday has been months in the making, with residents and businesses coming up with ideas for a wide range of colourful scarecrows which will line the streets of Blackrod.

This year's ninth annual festival will feature 131 scarecrows - a record number and 10 up on last year.

Organisers are keeping tight-lipped about the designs of this year's festival but some are rumoured to have a musical theme, influenced by Wigan Casino and northern soul music.

Some of the creations at last year's festival included two large-scale minions from the Despicable Me film, an Addams family themed effort, as well as a Blackrod’s Got Talent display, featuring the judges from the hit TV show.

The action-packed weekend also coincides with the annual summer fair at Blackrod Primary School and there will be a number of other activities on show around the village.

St Katharine's Church and the Methodist Church will both be open, with a range of stalls and refreshments available.

Festival organiser Jean Hibbert said: "Everyone keeps the details about their scarecrows under wraps until the last minute, so it is always exciting to see what we have got on the day.

"Work started in February, it won't fully wind up until August but it is all worth it and everyone has a great time. It is a great community event which sees everyone get involved.

"We have had more scarecrows registered than last year which should make for a really good weekend. We are just hoping that there is no rain."

Visitors are urged to pick up a programme to make the most of the weekend which includes a map of where all the scarecrows are located, as well as a quiz for younger visitors and raffle tickets for a prize draw.

They can be bought for £2 at a variety of locations throughout Blackrod.