Harvest Festival story

By Yixiang Zeng

Harrow children enjoyed a scarecrow hunt and a colouring competition at a local garden centre during the weekend.

The event, held in Headstone Lane, was part of the centre's Harvest Festival which invited families to attend and provided them suggestions of how to grow vegetables and fruits.

Children were encouraged to colour pictures of their own choice with a harvest-theme and find out six scarecrows hiding inside and around Harrow Garden Centre.

Libby Radford, 10, of West Street, Harrow-on-the-Hill, was among the many children who enjoyed the activities, she said: “I thought it was quite a good idea, and I thought colouring and finding scarecrows are quite fun.”

Along with Libby taking part in the event was 6-year-old Laura Sharrock of Nelson Road in Harrow-on-the-Hill, she added: “We decide what we're going to do with the picture, like if we want to put stickers on it.”

Laura's mum Maggie Sharrock, 40, told The HA1: “It's important for children to understand the season, to understand how to grow plants.

“Competition is always good and fun. They prefer to enter scarecrow hunt, if they win they can get a pack of seed, like sunflower or daffodil, so they can understand how the plants grow.”

Mike Townend, manager of the garden centre, explained why it was important to organise activities for the children, he said: “It's very important to connect our business with local community.

“Children are our customers' future, so they are very important. It's nice for children to have some activities while their parents are buying things.”

The 20 entries for the competition will be judged by the centre's visitors this week and all three winners will be awarded “painting by numbers” arts and crafts products.