Anyone who would like to see the Siddington corn dollies will be able to go from Monday 8th September until the end of October from 10am to 4pm daily. This is around the festival of harvest. 

The hundreds of dollies were mostly created by the late Raymond Rush, who lived in a nearby house. The tradition is being carried on by Raymond's granddaughter following in his footsteps by becoming a master corn dolly maker.   

Corn dollies have been made for thousands of years since it was believed the ‘spirit of the corn’ could be kept alive by keeping the last sheaf from a crop and making a shape or doll to keep over the winter to be ploughed back into the next crop. He said: “The dollies were made because it was thought there must be a spirit to teach the grain how to grow. It takes a lot of patience but I have been given a talent and want to share that with others. When people come into the church they say ‘wow’ at the display.”

Raymond made the symbols from when he was 25 when he saw his first corn dolly and was impressed by the intricate nature of the creations. He made hundreds each year to add to a collection of more than 1,000. 

The items create a stunning display made all the more beautiful by being hung on the black paint of the church interior.