05:11PM, Monday 09 February 2026
Sunflowers
A SUNFLOWER festival could be staged in Henley this summer.
Residents and schools would be invited to grow the flowers and put them on display in Market Place over a weekend.
The idea was presented by Councillor Gill Dodds at a meeting of Henley in Bloom.
She told the town council sub-committee that she had been inspired by the film Power Station, which highlights community-led projects.
Cllr Dodds said: “One of their community projects was that they just filled the street with sunflowers.
“I don’t know if anyone else saw the film but it was just quite extraordinary. The community work and the kids being out there and the street just full of sunflowers.”
Henley is to represent the region in the “town” category of the Royal Horticultural Society Britain in Bloom UK finals held from July 27 to August 14.
Judges will visit the town on a date to be determined.
Cllr Dodds said: “I thought it would be fun when the judges turn the corner down at the bottom of Hart Street, that they see the town square absolutely full of the bright yellow of the sunflowers.
“And you may think, well, why sunflowers? They’re a wonderful symbol, they represent growth, energy and environmental care.
“We could ask the schools in Henley to contribute and grow some sunflowers.”
Cllr Dodds said that Stonor Valley Vineyard, at Stonor Farm, grows sunflowers, and it supports the Chiltern Centre, for disabled young adults.
“It would be lovely to include them in planting the flowers for Market Place,” she said.
“That would link them with the charity and with us. It would be a wonderful visual spectacle.
“It wouldn’t be just one or two sunflowers, we would need as many as we could cope with.
“I know that watering and looking after them would be difficult and the schools would be closed when we have the final judgement, but I would like a ‘wow’ factor.
“I think it would be fun. I think it would add joy, colour and pride for Henley, and it would be a great community project.”
She added: “I end with the words, let’s do it!”
The meeting also heard that the art department at The Henley College had been approached to make an “eye-catching” sculpture of a bumblebee to go in Market Place, ideally from June or July.
This would be the latest project between the college and the council.
Last March students designed and painted a swan flying over Henley and the River Thames on hoardings outside the former Henley Youth Centre.
The 100 sqm (1,076 sqft) painting also features hippos to represent Leander Club, Temple Island, Mr Toad and Mr Mole from The Wind in the Willows, willow trees, rowers and Henley Bridge.
The meeting also heard the water used to maintain public flower beds and displays in Henley could be fully “recycled” by the end of this year.
Kyle Dowling, parks manager, for the town council’s parks services team, told the meeting that it had initially contacted the Environment Agency to apply for an extraction licence to pump water from the River Thames.
Mr Dowling said: “The agency said you would only need to apply for a licence if you’re extracting more than 20,000 litres per day from the river and our water bowsers don’t get close to that.
“Ours are between 5,000- and 10,000-litre bowsers, which we top up about three times a week.
“We’re more than able to use the river and we want to move away from using mains water to top up our bowsers.
“We’re currently getting risk assessments put in place to allow us to safely extract water from the river and investigate getting a pump that we can mount on to one of our trailers to make it a smooth process.
“All being well, this year’s water supply will be recycled water rather than water from the mains.”
Meanwhile, tree grates in Market Place, Henley, are to be refurbished
The cast iron grates are to be removed and repainted and the areas topped up with pea gravel before the grates are reinstalled.
l What do you think? Write to: Letters, Henley Standard, Caxton House, 1 Station Road, Henley or email letters
@henleystandard.co.uk
Most read
Top Articles
A MAN from Henley was arrested on suspicion of murder on Sunday after a man was seriously injured in Dorset and later died in hospital.
SUPERMARKET chain Aldi has confirmed that it plans to open a new food store in Henley. The Henley Standard revealed in May last year it was looking at the Jewson site, off Reading Road, with the materials firm set to move to the former Gibbs and Dandy...
Playday nursery sites in Milestone Way and Hemdean Road notified parents on Monday evening of the closure, which Reading Borough Council has told the BBC could last until February 22.
© Copyright 2024 Baylis Community Media CIC All right reserved
