Scarecrows, church queens, and residents filled a North Staffordshire village last weekend (11 July) in a celebration of community and local heritage.

The Brown Edge Carnival has been an eagerly anticipated annual event for as long as most local residents can remember.

Each year, stalls, fairground games and ice cream vans fill the village playing fields for the summer event.

The three wells in Brown Edge are also decorated with the help of local volunteers, school children and arts organisations.

Emma Hunt, co-chair of the carnival, said: "I think it's really good for the community because it brings us all together."

"I think it is important to keep these traditions alive because it's a key part of our history," Emma – who was Church Queen in 2002 – added.

"Like the well dressing, it's been done for so many years and I think it's good to keep it going.

"I have friends who come from cities and when they come, they ask, 'what's a well dressing, what are you doing?' So, it's nice to educate people and keep the tradition going."

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The three Brown Edge wells decorated for the annual event (image via Nub News)

The Carnival features a range of events that encourage local residents to get involved in the celebrations.

The annual scarecrow competition sees the village populated with a wide variety of creatively decorated figures – which this year included King Arthur and Harry Kane.

Locals also participated in a cake competition, dog show and tug of war competition.

This year also marked a special anniversary for the Brown Edge carnival with the crowning of the village's 80th St Anne's Church Queen.

At around 2pm, previous queens from the last 80 years gathered together under a white marquee to watch 11-year-old Theadora Willow Corbett - known as Teddy – officially take up her position.

The church queen or king is a role usually taken on by a young person from Brown Edge for a year, during which they fundraise and represent the village.

The 2025 Church Queen Evie raised a total of £1436 for local projects and organisations during her year in the role.

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The new queen said: "I'm excited to organise so many fundraising events for people to enjoy."

Following the event, District Councillor for Brown Edge & Endon Joe Porter, said: "Brown Edge is extremely lucky to have such dedicated and wonderful young people like our new St Anne's Church Queen Theadora and Retiring Queen Evie. Both of them have shown an incredible commitment to our village."

Teddy and Evie with the Bishop of Lichfield (image via Robert Corbett)

Teddy, like many other church queens, followed in the footsteps of her older sister Madi, who took on the role in 2017.

Maddie said: "I'm so proud of her today. When I did it, it was such a big thing and it's so nice to see her carry on the tradition of it."

She added: "I think it's so important for the young people to see the old traditions and them to carry it on.

"I just think it's lovely as a little village that everybody comes together and celebrates it."

Teddy with sister Madi and on her Sleeping Beauty themed float (images via Robert Corbett)

Another previous St Anne's Church Queen attending the event was Jackie, who held the role in 1968. She said that she hopes that the tradition will "keep going from strength to strength".

She added: "It brings the village together and everybody gets involved.

"I think it's just important to keep the traditions going and bring in the young people."

Bob Egginton, Staffordshire County Councillor for Biddulph South and Endon, travelled to attend the event and celebrated the "unbelievable community spirit" in the Staffordshire Moorlands and Brown Edge.

He added: "It's part of our heritage".

This year's event receieved lots of support from local businesses and residents, but organisers stressed the importance of getting young people involved to secure the future of the carnival.

Emma Hunt's mother, Margaret Hunt, who has been on the carnival committee for 25 years, said: "It's lovely to see the tradition carry on and we need the well dressing to continue.

"But we need more younger people to come on board."

Harry Kane and King Arthur scarecrows created as part of the scarecrow competition (image via Nub News)

One of the most recent members to join the carnival team is 25-year-old dog trainer, Eden Massey – who judged the dog competition.

Originally from Manchester, he recently moved to Brown Edge alongside his North Staffordshire fiancée and says he has been "welcomed very much" by the community.

Eden, who runs Maverick Dog Training, said: "It's really important for younger people to not be pushed into this [organising the event] but to be considered for it.

"It shouldn't just be kept to a certain age group."

He added: "We should get the young people in, not just so they can go in the bounty castle, but so they can actually be part of organising the event."