East Preston braced for fantastic festival

And the organising committee has lined up a series of competitions to get the whole village involved.

Festival week runs from May 30 to June 8, and with the World Cup soon afterwards, the theme is Brazilian Carnival.

The popular scarecrow competition is back. Following judging on May 30, they will remain in front gardens during the festival and a list will be provided so that people can make a tour of them. The first prize is £25, and £10 for the runner-up. Entry forms are available from Buds n Blooms, Sea Road, East Preston.

Sport is the theme for the photo competition, with prizes of £30 plus for the best picture, £20 for second and £10 for third. Photos can be submitted as digital images, to [email protected] or as prints, measuring 7x5inch, sent to Jackie Pilcher, 44 Golden Avenue, East Preston, BN16 1QX, by May 30. Names, phone numbers and addresses should be written on the back of hard copies, or included in the email with digital photos.

Flags from the World Cup nations will be on display in village shops from Saturday next week until June 5 for a competition for children aged four to 11, who have to find as many flags as possible and write down which one is in which shop. Entry forms are available at Hedgers Newsagents and Seaview Stores, both in Sea Road, and the village library.

The festival’s grand prize draw has a £250 cash first prize and many other great prizes, with tickets on sale in festival week.