The winning entry, ‘Sir Hay-vid Attenborough and his Straw-ry Books’, celebrates Sir David Attenborough’s 100th birthday and the National Year of Reading, bringing together two important values at the heart of the Snarestone school community: a love of the natural world and a love of reading. 

Sir Hay-vid Attenborough and his Straw-ry Books 

The annual Heather Scarecrow Festival sees the village of Heather in Leicestershire transformed into an outdoor gallery, with gardens and streets filled with scores of imaginative scarecrows. Visitors come from across the local area to enjoy the family-friendly event, discover the displays and vote for their favourite entries. 

Local schools, pre-schools and nurseries from the surrounding area are invited to create their own scarecrow displays, giving children and families the opportunity to get creative and become part of this much-loved community event. 

For Snarestone Church of England Primary School, the inspiration behind their winning scarecrow was particularly significant. 

Sir Hay-vid Attenborough is depicted reading his book, Adventures of a Young Naturalist, to a Snarestone pupil, surrounded by animals from across the continents and sitting before a symbolic globe. 

Rather than the children creating their own story books, the books within the display represent something much bigger: the power of reading and storytelling to pass knowledge from one generation to the next. 

The scene symbolises Sir David passing on his knowledge, passion and understanding of the natural world to the next generation. It reflects the important role that young people will play in protecting our planet and caring for the world they inherit. 

This message is particularly meaningful as 2026 marks Sir David Attenborough’s 100th birthday and is also the UK’s National Year of Reading. Through the simple act of reading aloud, the display celebrates how books and stories can help children discover the natural world, develop curiosity and understand their responsibility to protect it. 

Inspiring the next generation 

Sir David Attenborough was chosen as the inspiration because his work and passion for the natural world strongly reflect the values of Snarestone Church of England Primary School. 

Learning about nature, wildlife and the environment is an important part of school life at Snarestone. Pupils are encouraged to explore and understand the natural world through the curriculum and Forest School sessions, developing a sense of wonder and a responsibility to care for the environment around them. 

The scarecrow display brings these ideas together, showing how knowledge can be passed down through generations, with reading acting as a bridge between the experiences and discoveries of the past and the young people who will shape the future. 

Surrounded by wildlife from across the continents and a symbolic globe, Sir Hay-vid and his young audience represent a shared responsibility: to learn about our world today so that future generations can help protect it tomorrow. 

A huge thank you goes to all the pupils, staff and families who got involved and helped bring the vision to life. A special shout-out goes to Miss King and Mrs Turner for their hard work, creativity and vision in creating such a thoughtful and inspiring display. 

Headteacher Mr Tim Jewitt said: 

“We are absolutely delighted to have won the Heather Scarecrow Festival. Sir Hay-vid Attenborough and his Straw-ry Books is so much more than a scarecrow – it represents many of the things we value at Snarestone, including reading, learning about our natural world and inspiring the next generation. 

“With Sir David Attenborough celebrating his 100th birthday this year, we felt he was the perfect person to celebrate. His lifelong passion for sharing knowledge about our planet and encouraging people to care for it is incredibly inspiring. 

“We particularly wanted to capture the idea of Sir David passing his knowledge on to a young Snarestone pupil through reading. Books and storytelling give us a wonderful way to pass knowledge from one generation to the next, and we hope our pupils will take what they learn about the natural world and use it to help protect our planet in the future. 

“A huge thank you to all of our pupils, staff and families who helped make this wonderful creation possible, and especially to Miss King and Mrs Turner for their creativity, hard work and vision. We are incredibly proud of everyone involved.” 

Celebrating community and creativity 

The Heather Scarecrow Festival is not only a celebration of creativity and community spirit, but also a charitable event. Money raised through the sale of Scarecrow Guides goes directly back into the village or is donated to groups in, or associated with, Heather. 

For Snarestone Church of England Primary School, taking part was a fantastic opportunity to connect with the wider Heather and Leicestershire community, while giving pupils and families the chance to celebrate reading, nature and the importance of protecting our planet. 

The success of ‘Sir Hay-vid Attenborough and his Straw-ry Books’ is a wonderful achievement for the whole Snarestone school community and a fitting celebration of Sir David Attenborough’s 100 years, the National Year of Reading and the generations of young people who will become the future guardians of our natural world. 

Congratulations to all the pupils, staff and families at Snarestone Church of England Primary School on a fantastic and well-deserved win!