From the Dundee church penguins with their scarves and sweaters to the Queen Victoria in Brighton who occasionally sports sunglasses, fancy dress for statues has become commonplace. But the Cockermouth town council has said no to the idea of dressing up the statue for a festival. It’s a reversal of previous behaviour - during the visit for the Tour of Britain, the statue was given a bike, sunglasses and a cycling helmet, but the idea of giving the sixth Earl of Mayo a guitar and sunglasses was a step too far, apparently.

For those who find the idea of dressing up a statue irresistible, one of the easiest places to start is by buying a fancy dress wig as that is the one thing that will completely change the look of a statue without vandalising it. We like Rastafarian hats as statue garments, as they are bright and instantly recognisable. They have another major advantage too - unlike paint, they don’t vandalise the statue. Sunglasses look good too - fasten them across the back of the statue’s head with some elastic to hold them in place. Accessories are a great way to give your statue some personality: consider umbrellas, hats, and of course feather boas.

On the other hand, you may make a fantastic dress costume for yourself by dressing as a local statue from your home town - grey face paint and a wig can go a long way to turning you into a famous landmark. The great thing about statue fancy dress is that it allows you to have a lot of freedom to dance and play around at parties unlike some more demanding costumes.