Flower Bed Storytime
Kew Gardens #GrowWild
In 2019 we took wildflowers to the town. This is what we did:
· Trained volunteers in seed sowing and pricking out
· Held volunteer-led seed sowing days in schools for children and families and on the allotment
· Held volunteer-led flower growing sessions for the local community in the High St and on the community allotment
· Created a wildflower display in the High St in June to link to flowering time in Harmony Woods and on nature reserves around the town
· Invitations to visit the FlowerBedRoom were made by primary school children with the help of a professional artist
· A social media campaign was devised by secondary students
· Constructed an interactive display in the form of a Flower Bedroom – a ‘bed’ of flowers, overflow(er)ing chest of drawers, flower carpet and a bedtime storyteller
· A professional storyteller told traditional stories in the Flower Bedroom – games and activities accompanied the story telling
· Stories were written by primary school students and included in a Flower Bedroom Storybox, which visitors were invited to read whilst enjoying the flowery installation
· Visitors were invited to add plants to the installation and to pot up flowers to be planted later in the year in Harmony Woods
· The installation remained in the High St for 3 months from early June through till the end of August
· The installation was transferred to Harmony Woods and celebrated with a community day at the end of September where the 3000 plants raised by the community were planted in the Harmony Woods meadow, with participants enjoying tea, flower cakes and, of course, storytelling.
. Supported two secondary school students to run their own Grow Wild youth project - bringing wildflowers to the town via Virtual Reality!
Why we did this:
To:
· Raise awareness of wild flowers and their importance to an urban population
· Engage positively and creatively with young people, especially teenagers
· Improve the biodiversity of the town and its surroundings
· Increase the number of people of all ages actively engaged in caring for the local environment
· Support local artists
· Bring together and support the work of existing groups and organisations
