Campaign aims to get us all surrounded by sunflowers
When you live in a community you try to give something back to it – and that is exactly what the Wemsfest Sunfest 2019 Project aims to do.
From Easter everyone in the area will be able to access packs of free sunflower seeds, courtesy of organisers Carol Waldron and Nikki Scott.
The idea came from Wemsfest director Mark Ringwood watching the natural growth of sunflower seeds falling from the fat-ball bird dispensers in his garden and witnessing at close-hand the effect it had on wildlife in his garden.
The growth of sunflower plants, coupled with the immediate attraction of them to birds and bees, suggested an immediate opportunity to create a project which has been initially called ‘Plant(n) ation’ – because it’s hoped to roll the project out nationally and feature different seeds on an annual basis.
In this first year, there will be a prize for the biggest sunflower when judging takes place at this year’s Emsworth Show on August bank holiday Monday.
You will be able to pick up your free seeds from: Bookends, Citrus Flowers, Emsworth Hardware, Vin, Westbourne Animal Feeds and through www.wemsfest. com
Mark told the Observer: “Wemsfest’s been in touch with all the infant and junior schools in Emsworth, Southbourne and Thorney Island and we’re delighted that they will be participating.
“We’re also in the process of contacting allotment associations and resident associations in the hope that they will join in.
“The preparation process will include the stuffing of several thousand envelopes which all have to be labelled ‘not fit for human consumption – but perfect for planting’.
“If this year’s pilot project goes as well as we hope it will then we’d like to extend the geographical area of operation in 2020 and also look to changing the seeds to hollyhocks or garden peas.
“It’s a project which can send out a strong ecological message and at the same time add more than a little splash of colour to our environment.”