THIS year’s Cullingworth Scarecrow Festival was a work of fiction.

More than 50 characters from books and nursery rhymes could be seen around the village over the Bank Holiday Weekend.

Residents and visitors were able to mingle with the likes of Sherlock Holmes, Batman and the Very Hungry Caterpillar.

They could discover “where’s Wally?” in one garden, and see a group of dancing scarecrows around Cullingworth’s maypole.

They were also able to meet snow queen Elsa and snowman Olaf, characters from Disney’s hit movie Frozen.

The Scarecrow Festival, now in its 12th year, is expected to raise around £1,200 to be split equally between the Yorkshire Air Ambulance and Manorlands.

Rosemary Spencer, chairman of Cullingworth Scarecrow Festival committee, said bad weather on Saturday initially affected attendance, but numbers were up when the sun came out on Sunday.

She said people travelled from as far away as Manchester, Nottingham and Wigan to see the scarecrows.

She said: “Some years are better than others, but this was a good year for entries. There were some really good ones.

“Some families make a scarecrow in their garden, and shops and businesses in the village also make them.

“It brings the village together. A lot of people were walking round the village and chatting to each other.”

Everyone who bought a programme was able to vote for their favourite, and the winner will be revealed soon.

A minibus service ran around the village on Saturday and Sunday, enabling people to access all the scarecrows.

Refreshments were available from various venues.

Cullingworth Scarecrow Festival was originally the brainchild of village councillor Ken Batchelor and attracted 40 entries in its first year.

Around 70 people signed up for the second year, and a committee of villagers was set up to turn the festival into an annual event.

Last year’s Scarecrow Festival brought a touch of elegance to the village as organisers adopted a Hollywood theme.

One display included the famous HOLLYWOOD letters on a garage roof, with golden stars leading to a trio of scarecrows including Charlie Chaplin and Marilyn Monroe.

The 2010 Festival featured comic book characters the Bash Street Kids, cartoon favourites Popeye and Olive Oyl and Disney's Beauty and the Beast.