Leigh984, The creative portfolio of Leigh Spencer

The Desford Scarecrow Festival returned in 2025 with a theme of Desford Takes To The Stage, village residents took the theme and created a wide variety of interpretations from the well known plant from The Little Shop Of Horrors eating a passerby to the animal cast of the Sing series of films. The musical Wicked! was well represented as where the perennial favourites the minions. My highlights film begins with the famous plant before moving onto a Wicked! themed entry. Next up posters for a singing competition lead us onto a joint entry featuring various animal characters from the Sing films, moving on we see beetle-juice on the main street before its onto charlie and his great glass elevator. A selection of crocheted animals are on sale with the artist smiling behind before we move onto a game involving Pokemon balls and a song from Jigglypuff themselves. They famously said in War Of The Worlds the chances of anything coming from Mars are a million to one, but still they come to Des...

  The Sportster Sickness motorcycle group run their annual "The Big One" ride out through the village of Newbold Verdon in Leicestershire. Hundreds of Harley Davidson bikes take part in one of the biggest meet ups in the country this being it`s 10th anniversary. The route taking in several Leicestershire villages includes Desford, Newbold Verdon and others and ends at the Mallory Park Race Circuit. The unmistakable sound of the engines is heard as the enter the village and pass the Jubilee Pub and continue on past the Liberteas coffeehouse waved on and cheered by villagers as they sound their horns and wave.

Over two days in May 3rd - 4th the village of Desford travelled back to the 1940's with a festival of the 40's, with Vintage Cars (both civilian and Military) and themed areas across the village the wartime spirit was evident throughout. The event by the Desford Heritage group was timed to be the villages marking of 80 Year anniversary of #veday a celebration nationwide of Victory In Europe. Our Film begins with the Battlepipes rendition of Scotland the brave which cleverly is combined with the theme to Dads Army before a outdoor service in which Abide With Me is sung as Poppies are dropped from the tower of St Martin`s Church. The pipes can still be heard in the background as Sir Winston Churchill himself makes an appearance with his classic car parked in front of the church a moment so important it`s recorded by a press photographer from the 40's !. Back on the church green and visitors are given informative talks about communication both secret and otherwise in the er...

With a theme of around the world, Desford Residents, Businesses and Community Groups came together to decorate Christmas trees for the annual St Martin`s Church Christmas Tree festival in 2024. With trees featuring decorations detailing Christmas greetings from around the world, knitted flags of the world, we even got to say Allo Allo to a French themed tree !. After enjoying a cup of tea and a slice o` Cake, I take in trees depicting the tulips and windmills of Amsterdam, plus a very unique use for pasta on a Italian themed tree. As I venture back out into the winter air the church entrance is glowing with the warmth of lights and decorations created by the amazing volunteers and Desford Heritage group who make this fantastically festive festival possible.

The August Bank Holiday Weekend can mean only one thing in the Leicestershire village of Desford, It`s Scarecrow Festival time !. This years theme was "Desford Goes Wild" which got residents and businesses looking to the natural world and beyond to interpret the theme in their own unique way, cue Lions, Tigers, Monkeys and a trip to the Wild Amazon alongside an underwater scene, complete with big a orange octopus, a swing by Tarzan's tree house (or should that be Overhanging Building ?), there is even a trip to the old wild west where there`s talk of Gold to be panned for !. My film shows just a few of the wide selection of amazing creations around the village, visitors could also enjoy a wide range of entertainment, food and more at the church of St.Martins.