Right at the start of the Pandemic Lockdown, we all hunkered down as a community, taking care not to be out when we shouldn't or needn't be out.

As restrictions began to ease, people were being very conflicted and Social Media is not a good place to argue out these things. Against this background of negativity, it was the Reverend Peter Southcombe from Immanual Church that suggested the growing of Sunflowers so that we would have a splash of colour as we would, hopefully, finally come out of the bulk of lockdown.

Peter asked me to push that on Social Media, across my channels and onto the SoBo Facebook page (SoBo is a little phrase many use as short for Southbourne).

People loved the idea. I had a bag full of seeds given by Peter Guest of Leges Support. We shared that to people who wanted some. People got cracking.

The results have been great and even ours have bloomed.

BCP Council have reached out and asked for examples of what communities have been doing during the impacts of Covid-19, so I will put together a little video of the many, many local sunflowers I have recorded, and share.

In 2021 we must do this again. With a bit of funding we can get the seeds and pots, to get people going. Everyone can share tips and progress like before, but hopefully this time we will have whole streets full of bright yellow sunflowers arond the same time.

It can be something that Southbourne can be known for. Part of a placemaking identity and to show off to visitors. Ideally should have them line the high street baskets.

The news even made it onto BBC Radio Solent with an interview of a resident that grew a wall of them. There have been great examples shared on Facebook.