The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
‘Flower singer’ hits right note for event to boost planting
A 16ft singing art installation will visit Dundee City Square and Leven Promenade this weekend as the Dandelion Free for All event comes to Tayside and Fife.
Created from 2,500 plants, the stunning “Dandelion Flower Singer” will oversee the distribution of 75,000 vegetable plugs to communities across Scotland as part of the ambitious “grow your own” initiative taking place throughout the country’s growing season.
Commissioned by Event Scotland and funded by the Scottish Government, Dandelion is Scotland’s contribution to UNBOXED: Creativity in the UK.
On Saturday, members of the public are invited to pick up their plants and enjoy a performance of traditional harvest songs from “Dandelion Flower Singer” Sally Jaquet at the free event in Dundee, before it arrives in Leven on Sunday.
Accompanied by other performers and students from Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC) visitors can expect to be immersed in a unique experience celebrating the elements of growth: sun, wind and water.
Dandelion aims to make growing your own food as easy and accessible as possible to people of all ages and from all backgrounds, so a team of growing experts from SRUC will be on-site with advice for those new to growing.
Neil Butler, festival and events director with Dandelion, said: “Our Dandelion Flower Singer is a beautiful depiction of the joy of sharing harvest which is at the heart of our programme.
“We hope that through their songs we can encourage more people to get involved in growing their own and understand the importance of nurturing, nourishing and cultivating what’s important to us individually, and as a wider culture.”
Fiona Burnett, growing team lead from SRUC, said: “Dandelion is an exciting opportunity for people of all ages to come together and learn about growing.
“No matter how big or small a space you have, our team will be on hand to show all the ways that people can get involved and enjoy growing, from growing on windowsills and in wellies, to vegetable patches and more.”