Couple mark three straw weddings and a dog funeral

Six life-size figures of three couples in wedding dresses and suits are standing on a grass verge outside a house on the High Street in a rural location, a small wooden coffin with RIP written on the lid next to a sign which says 'Alfie' on it. A longer white sign stands in front of the display and says 'three weddings and a dog funeral'. Behind the scarecrows is a tall 2.5m (8ft) hedge with a straw model of a dog visible in the middle at the top.John Devine/BBC

A straw representation of Alfie the dog can be seen at the top of the hedge, with an angel halo above his head

John Devine
BBC News, Cambridgeshire
Reporting from
Pidley

A couple has portrayed the emotional highs and lows of their last 12 months using the medium of straw.

Jim Nelson, 59, and his wife Debbie from Pidley, Cambridgeshire, have three children aged 25 to 31 and have previously enjoyed making displays for the annual scarecrow competition in the village.

Since September two of their children have married - with their third due to be wed later this month - and their 16-year-old family dog, Alfie, died in July.

The couple, with the help of their family, devised a display entitled "Three weddings and a (dog) funeral", which alludes to the 1994 hit Richard Curtis movie Four Weddings and a Funeral.

Six life-size figures of three couples in wedding dresses and suits are standing on a grass verge outside a house on the High Street in a rural location, a small wooden coffin with RIP written on the lid next to a sign which says 'Alfie' on it. A longer white sign stands in front of the display and says 'three weddings and a dog funeral'. Behind the scarecrows is a tall 2.5m (8ft) hedge and a gravel driveway beyond that.John Devine/BBC

Mr Nelson says it always a great laugh to devise and put together the display and it will stay up until early September

Mr Nelson said his family always relished the Pidley Scarecrow Festival and got involved in proceedings.

"There were eight of us working on the display, my wife, my children and their partners, it was huge fun, we went to a local charity shop and picked up some attire for our models," he said.

Mr Nelson said it only took a few hours to put together the straw wedding scene and he added "lots of people are stopping to grab pictures of it".

A brown and white springer spaniel dog lies on the grass in a back garden with his head resting on his front paws.Jim Nelson

Alfie the English springer spaniel passed away last month aged 16 and was a "real character", said Mr Nelson

Mr Nelson said the family wanted to make sure their English springer spaniel, Alfie, was included in the display after he passed away last month.

"He was a star, he was a one-off, if he wanted to go for a walk, nothing would stop him," said Mr Nelson.

He added that his children adored Alfie as they were growing up and "he was a much missed big part of the family" and he was a "really lovely little family dog".

Alfie the dog is portrayed in straw jumping over the hedge with a halo on his head and angel wings - and he lights up at night.

A line-up of eight real people surrounding three scarecrow couples who are wearing wedding dresses and suits complete with black hats, at the far right is a small wooden coffin bearing the letters 'RIP'. A sign next to that says 'Alfie' who was the family dog that died last month. A longer white sign on the ground reads 'Three weddings and a (dog) funeral'.Jim Nelson

For the past six years the family have enjoyed creating scarecrow displays for the Pidley Scarecrow Festival

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