CONGRATULATIONS to everyone who took part in last Sunday’s Basingstoke Half Marathon; almost everyone was still running and smiling as they past our house which is more or less the half-way point. Many of the runners were raising money for charity; if you would like to donate details of official charities can be found at destinationbasingstoke.co.uk. Residents who were at the roadside to cheer were joined in Ellisfield by more than two dozen scarecrows. While Maggie’s scarecrow was looking for The Choir, Tony’s promised Naked Cheerleaders ahead – is there something about The Belles of St Martin’s that we don’t know?

COMPETITION results: An amazing amount of effort went into producing the scarecrows and really, like the runners, everyone was a winner, giving judges the Revs Chattel and Mourant a hard task. Pat Gould was awarded first place for beautifully constructed Worzel Gummidge and Aunt Sally, Dee and Laura Haas, second, with The Landscape Architect, and Terry Gilvear’s The Old Man was awarded third place.