2001 was the first Hickling Scarecrow weekend – originally intended for April it was postponed until September of that year. The Millennium brought something of a change to the village – it is odd how these milestones feel when they come … Most significantly, the village Post Office and Shop closed, the familiar sight of cows going to and from milking along the village streets would soon be lost and rural communities nationwide were hit, brutally, by a major foot and mouth outbreak.

Then there was a discussion in the Post Office between Bob Naismith and Margaret Woolley; so far, we have two versions of what the chat involved, perhaps it was a bit of both – either our name-sake village in Norfolk had hosted a scarecrow festival (and everyone loved the huge corn dollies which had become a feature of the annual Country Fair – the adorable couple had first appeared on Hickling Pastures in the middle of a field but had since moved down into Hickling). Or, it was inspired by a street festival seen in France which involved effigies rather than scarecrows.

Either way, the Scarecrow Weekends began.