Crows will be petrified across Royton from this weekend as a new scarecrow festival is set to begin.
There will be a total of 79 scarecrows across the area, with maps available for a small donation.
Sign up to our newsletters to get the latest stories sent straight to your inbox.
Organiser Charlotte Burns decided to start the festival when she was looking for something to do with her family.
The festival joins a similar festival in Diggle, which sees the avian deterrents pop up across the area over the Easter holidays and will also be back again for Halloween.
The Royton event is running from 10am on Saturday, October 14, and will run for more than two weeks to Halloween, on Tuesday, October 31.
More than 600 people have signed up to the event’s Facebook group.
It is hoped that it will become an annual occurrence after this year.
Those hoping to join the trail can get a map for a £2 donation from Co-op Royton, Bru’d Awakenin’s, or the Narrowgate Farm Shop, which is also offering pumpkin picking.
Organisers have warned that completing the trail all in one day is unlikely, with the scarecrows set to be spread across the area.
Scarecrow fans should note that no scarecrows will be displayed on Arncott Drive, with the deadline to update the map having passed.
Money raised through donations will be spent on buying Christmas gifts for local children and for elderly people struggling due to the cost of living crisis.
Follow The Oldham Times on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, YouTube, and Threads.
Charlotte said: “I’d been to quite a few [scarecrow festivals] in different areas, and always wondered if there was anything closer for us to do as a family now that I have a baby girl.
“I couldn’t find anything, but I thought: why not start something myself? There are now 80 scarecrows being made by the Royton community.
“They’re spread throughout Royton, and businesses such as Bru’d Awakenin’s, Co-op, and Oldham Athletic FC have donated prizes.
“Local tuition company Conexus Tuition has sponsored us by printing all our maps, so all businesses involved are local for the local community to enjoy.”
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here