Fans flock to town's first Golden Goose Awards

Rebecca Stimson, right, was presented with her award for her photo of Gary the goose

Beverly Hills has the Golden Globes, Los Angeles has the Oscars, but it is a ceremony in a Cambridgeshire town that has had local celebrities all in a flap.

People flocked to the inaugural Golden Goose Awards at the Acre pub in March to honour the town's most popular feathered friends.

Over the last few years, a flock of white domestic geese have become real celebrities; using zebra crossings and waddling into shops.

March resident Chrissie Fadipe helped organise the awards, which gave out prizes to photographers for pictures of the geese on 11 September.

Their work will ultimately appear in a 2026 calendar on sale in the winter.

The geese made an appearance in the pub's car park on the night of the ceremony

"Our geese have had a meteoric rise; they have been featured in articles all across media outlets," said Mrs Fadipe.

She started by inviting people to submit photographs of the geese and she plans to sell 800 calendars at £5 each.

Mrs Fadipe ultimately hopes to raise £4,000 for two local animal charities - the Waterfowl Sanctuary in Godmanchester near Huntingdon, and Sally's Duck Rescue in Wisbech.

But that fundraising target will likely be surpassed because of pre-order demands.

Businesses have sponsored the calendar and the prizes, which included a free MOT and kayak lessons.

Chrisie Fadipe, right, presented Julie Cave with her prize

Mrs Fadipe said a children's book and a colouring book were in the pipeline for next year.

"I did not have this on my bingo card for 2025 - to be an unofficial celebrity agent for a gaggle of geese," said Ms Fadipe.

"People have just fallen in love with them.

"With all the doom and gloom in the world, these geese have just brought so much joy to people."

A goose-themed cake was served at the awards

Mrs Fadipe says she is not sure that the Golden Goose Awards will return next year.

"I think it is a one-off situation; about 60 or 70 people came out to see the event, and it was a brilliant atmosphere," she said.

"Winners told me their winning photo will take pride of place in their home. People were really thrilled to have won and they just love the geese."