A care home hosted a scarecrow festival with the help of a special guest.

Care UK's Dashwood Manor, located on Bradley Way, invited the community, local groups, and nearby care homes to participate in their third annual Scarecrow Festival.

The event saw a variety of scarecrows, including Spongebob Squarepants, Alice in Wonderland, and Mary Poppins, proudly displayed in the care home's gardens.

Residents of Dashwood Manor also joined in the fun by creating their own scarecrows, including a Humpty Dumpty figure.

The scarecrows were judged by the Lord Mayor of Basingstoke, Councillor Dan Putty, who awarded the first prize to Mary Jane and Marvin for their Texas cowboy scarecrow.

St Mary’s Church and Bickerton House care home secured second and third places for their Alice in Wonderland and Picasso scarecrows, respectively.

Roger Marshall, a resident at Dashwood Manor, said: "I loved seeing all the scarecrows at the festival.

"I had great fun making a sunflower scarecrow – sadly we didn’t win but all the entries were very impressive."

Spongebob was among the scarecrows that could be seen (Image: Supplied) Dil Perera, home manager at Dashwood Manor, said: "We all enjoyed getting crafty with our scarecrows and welcoming the local community for Dashwood Manor’s Scarecrow Festival once again.

"The festival is growing more popular by the year, and both team members and residents loved seeing such creative spirit from the community."

The scarecrow competition marked the start of Dashwood Manor’s Harvest Festival events, which includes a food bank drop-off point for non-perishable food items at the care home’s reception.

Donations will be made to the Basingstoke Food Bank until Sunday, October 20.