Here's all you need to know about the Battle Scarecrow Festival

It will run for just over two weeks before coming to a close on Saturday, August 4.

This year, the festival is open to prizes for the best individual entry, best community entry, best business entry, best entry using recycled material and the people’s cup.

Battle Festival chairman David Furness said: “The Battle Festival’s scarecrow competition will enter its tenth year on July 20 until August 4 and scarecrows will be popping up all over the town.

“This year the theme is ‘memories’ and we look forward to some brilliant eateries. The scarecrows could be memories of holidays, childhood etc and they will be sensational.

“I would like to thank all the businesses and community groups in Battle who put so much work into their creations.

“The scarecrows bring people into Battle from far and wide and make the town look wonderful.”

This year’s scarecrow competition will be the first since the sudden death of Richard Jessop, in December 2017, while he was undergoing treatment for a heart condition at St Bartholomew’s Hospital, in London, aged 70.

Mr Jessop, who used to manage the event within his role at the Battle Chamber of Commerce, stepped down from organising the event in 2015 before the organisers of Battle Festival stepped in to run it for the next few years.

Mr Furness added: “Dear old Richard has not run the scarecrows for a couple of years but I would like to thank the beautiful Battle Chamber of Commerce and Richard Jessop for all the work they have done in the past. Without them the festival would not exist.”

You can vote for your favourite scarecrow in this year’s competition by visiting www.battlefestival.co.uk or by picking up a voting form from the Almonry, in Battle High Street.