THE village of Croft found itself invaded by an army of scarecrows at the weekend.

TV gardening expert Charlie Dimmock and Last of the Summer Wine stars Nora Batty and Cleggy were among the contingent.

The village was hosting its first scarecrow demonstration to coincide with a fundraising weekend at St Peter's Church.

About 40 scarecrows were on display, some designed by pupils from Croft Junior School.

Villager Charlie Headon, 68, who borrowed the idea for the demonstration, said: "I saw a scarecrow competition in Wray, Lancashire, and I thought why not do something similar here?"

As well as TV stars, many scarecrows were designed on a theme, such as a wedding party consisting of a bride and bridegroom standing in the churchyard.

The fun ran alongside a garden fete on Saturday at St Peter's Church. The church is raising £11,500 to pay for its annual quota