The Durrow Scarecrow Festival has become the latest Laois event to fall victim to the Coronavirus pandemic.
This year’s festival was set to run from July 26 to August 3 this year but will now not take place.
Organisers have taken the decision now in the interest of health and safety of all.
They said: “It is with huge regret that a decision must be taken for the safety of all not to hold the 2020 Durrow Scarecrow Festival.
“We have looked into this extensively and following Government/HSE guidelines, research and various discussions over the past few weeks we have had to come to this very difficult decision.
“We would like to thank everybody for their support over the past ten years and we will look forward to seeing you next year for an even better festival.”
The knock-on effects of this cancellation are huge for the area with Durrow Developmemt Forum particularly affected.
They use the festival each year to fundraise and have launched a GoFundMe page in a bid to make up the shortfall.
They say: “Durrow Development Forum organises and runs the Durrow Scarecrow Festival in Durrow, Laois. The event is run by volunteers who work tirelessly to make the festival successful and it is a vital fundraiser for our community.
“If you’re from Durrow or love to visit or pass through our beautiful village, we’d love you to support us. Durrow is a naturally beautiful village but it costs money for its upkeep.
“Durrow Development Forum have fundraised to service and maintain all our amenity areas with flowers, upkeep and planting. We have purchased essential equipment and fuel for the CES scheme to help maintain these areas.
“This year, more than ever, we need your help with our community centre which is our latest addition to our beautiful village.
“We fundraise through the festival and we are currently building a community centre and have completed phase one. We have secured a grant of €200,000 to complete phase two of the build but we need to raise another €200,000 to match fund this grant and complete this stage of the project.
“Loosing the festival this year is a huge loss to us and we need to fundraise in other ways.
“We would like to thank everybody for their support over the past ten years and we will look forward to seeing you next year for an even better festival.
“Please do share our fundraiser on your social media as every share will help us reach our goal.”
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