Fred the Scarecrow

If you were a crow, which of the figures below would scare you most? Probably neither. The chap on the left was on the books of Chelsea FC 50 years ago, earning £2.50 a week. Today he keeps an immaculate allotment for growing vegetables and he built the figure on the right, called Fred, to scare the crows away. It’s made from pair of his old trousers and his old t-shirt, with a scarf knitted by his wife. The tranquil scene, with cricketers walking out to play on the field beyond, belies its recent history. The local council had tried to turn all of the allotments into a car park but eventually changed its mind after a fierce community campaign to save them. Now Fred can stand guard over neatly tilled rows of onions, spuds and beetroot.