PROPOSAL FOR A COCKERMOUTH DAFFODIL DAY IN SPRING 2016

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Alison Hicks
6 years ago
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1 ROTARY CLUB OF COCKERMOUTH PROPOSAL FOR A COCKERMOUTH DAFFODIL DAY IN SPRING CONCEPT A number of towns in the UK hold Daffodil Days each year and it occurs to me that here in Cockermouth we are currently missing the opportunity to hold an event which would exemplify our Gem Town status and be A Celebration of Spring While it is appreciated that similar events tend to be held at historic properties or in areas where daffodils are grown commercially, Cockermouth has the unique advantage of being the birthplace of William Wordsworth on 7 April 1770 and his famous poem The Daffodils has raised the profile of this flower more than any subsequent marketing ever could. Wordsworth was also christened at All Saints Church in Cockermouth on 18 January 1772 along with his younger sister Dorothy, while they were living in Wordsworth House. 2. INITIAL ACTIONS The Rotary Club of Cockermouth would be willing to take the lead in organising a Daffodil Day which would initially involve seeking the cooperation and support of a wide range of public and private organisations / individuals who would hopefully see the benefit that such an event would have to Cockermouth and Cumbria. To do this we would need to produce a well thought out Project Plan of the necessary actions needed to set up and manage the event. This strategic document would involve highlighting the following :- a. The role of The Rotary Club of Cockermouth. b. The organisations / individuals to be contacted and the possible input required from them. c. The suggested areas within Cockermouth and its environs where daffodils might be planted to achieve the best possible display. d. The process of obtaining thousands of daffodil bulbs e. The process of planting the daffodil bulbs. f. The building where a series of events might be staged on Daffodil Day g. The type of daffodil related events which may be achievable h. Potential grant funding available for this community event i. Sponsorship opportunities 3.THE ROLE OF THE ROTARY CLUB OF COCKERMOUTH A small steering group of four Rotarians will develop the strategy document and make initial contact with the various organisations / individuals who could play an important part in making this a successful town community event. Following the integration of all the interested parties the role of the Steering Group would be expanded into a number of sub groups covering, overall

2 project management and liaison, Local Authority actions, Schools involvement, Organisations / Societies involvement, Purchasing bulbs and Planting arrangements. 4. THE ORGANISATIONS TO BE CONTACTED a. Cockermouth Town Council b Allerdale BC. c. Cumbria CC d Highways Agency e All Saints Church / Carlisle Diocese f. Schools ( Secondary, Primary, Nursery, Pre and After School ) g. Local Gardening Clubs h. Local Garden Centres / Nurseries I. Cockermouth Castle / Lord & Lady Egremont / Leconfield Estates j. Wordsworth House / National Trust. k The Wordsworth Trust i. Cockermouth Civic Trust m.cockermouth Chamber of Trade n. The Daffodil Society Northern Group o. Cockermouth Tourist Information Centre p. Cumbria Tourist Board q. Riversmeet r. Soroptomists s. Cockermouth Round Table t. Cockermouth Inner Wheel NB This list is not considered to be exhaustive and additions are welcome. 5. THE SUGGESTED AREAS TO BE PLANTED WITH DAFFODILS a Main roads coming into Cockermouth There is the potential of planting verges, roundabouts, and adjacent areas of land. Approval would be needed from landowners and Risk Assessments / H &S Procedures produced and implemented by Rotary. In some cases this could involve supervising children and adult volunteers.

3 The Highways Agency A66 - verges and roundabouts Cumbria County Council A5086, A595 and Low Road grass verges and roundabouts b. Public grassed area within Cockermouth c. Private grassed areas and gardens within Cockermouth d. School grounds within Cockermouth and nearby villages. e. Residential Care Home Gardens. f. Housing Association Gardens 6.THE PROCESS OF OBTAINING DAFFODIL BULBS We have been advised that bulk orders of daffodils are usually placed in May / June for receipt by September / October planting. It is hoped that every attempt would be made to plant native daffodils eg English Lent Lily in informal verge areas with larger hybrids used in more formal displays. a. Cockermouth Town Council b Allerdale Parks Dept c. Local Garden Centres / Nurseries d. Local retailers who sell plants & bulbs d. National Nurseries via internet 7. THE PLANTING OF THE DAFFODIL BULBS This would possibly be undertaken in conjunction with local authorities, along with working parties of adult volunteers and school children, all co-ordinated by The Rotary Club of Cockermouth. We would of course welcome expert horticultural advice to assist us in producing a daffodil planting plan for the town, specifying how the areas are to be planted by various assisting groups. 8. THE BUILDING WHERE A SERIES OF EVENTS MIGHT BE HELD This would be the Hub of the Daffodil Day event around which activities and events would take place and it is hoped that this could be All Saints Church because of the association with William Wordsworth. 9. THE TYPE OF POSSIBLE EVENTS TO BE HELD ON DAFFODIL DAY a Exhibitions of paintings and photographs of daffodils Separate competitions for pupils from Primary Schools, Secondary School and adults. To be judged by a local artistic dignitary. With prizes awarded to each section.

4 b. Talks / demonstrations from expert horticulturalist on daffodils This could be by a head gardener from a National Trust garden, or an expert from The Daffodil Society. c. Competitions for best vase of daffodils. Organised and judged by local gardening clubs in Cockermouth or Lorton. d. Verse speaking competition for local school children of the poetry of Wordsworth e Talk on life of William Wordsworth ( Linked to Wordsworth House ) f. Exhibition organised by the Cockermouth Museum Group. g. Historic Walks organised by the Civic Society possibly highlighting Wordsworth House, Cockermouth Castle and the town s Georgian and Victorian architecture including All Saints Church and graveyard. h. Concert by Town Band or others. i. Stands / Stalls to be taken up by local businesses or groups to advertise there existence, eg Art Clubs, Gardening groups, Music society, retailers of gardening equipment etc. Were the interest to grow, this could be widened to include any organisation / retailer/ school / society in the area as a means of promoting the town and what opportunities exist here. j. Were we to go the fundraising route there are a number of options that would entice more people to the event as follows:- Easter Egg Hunt, Easter Bonnet Competition, Bell Ringing, Abseiling down church tower, Teddy Bear parachuting. street theatre Traditional working smithy demonstration, Dray rides with heavy horses, 10. GRANT FUNDING In view of the fact that this is a community project involving all the local authorities there is a possibility that grant could be achieved either from the Cumbria CC, Allerdale BC or Cockermouth TC. This would assist in the required purchasing of daffodil bulbs and marketing the event. 11. SPONSORSHIP We need to make early contact with businesses within Cockermouth and Cumbria as a whole, as we seek funding for purchasing daffodils bulbs. 12. MARKETING Marketing the Daffodil Day will progress to ensure continued interest once we have a final decision to proceed and we are able to agree an actual date for the event. The Rotary Project Team are now making initial approaches all possible interested parties so that we can firm up a viable programme for the day.

5 13. CONCLUSION The Daffodil Day is an opportunity to develop what could become an annual Celebration of Spring, when we remember William Wordsworth, a son of Cockermouth and his legacy The Daffodils The event would naturally need to be a held in late March 2016 which is only just over a month away from our annual Touch a Truck Community Fun Day, held on the first Sunday in May. However the Rotary Club of Cockermouth has the belief and commitment to play its part in making a Daffodil Day a success for the town. R. R. Day on behalf of The Rotary Club of Cockermouth - 23 April 2015

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