Children’s Minster sunflower marks work of city hospice

The sunflower is designed to mark Hospice Month for the city’s St Leonard’s Hospice.

Children from 13 primary schools and nurseries have been hard at work colouring cut-out flower shapes for the sunflower, and the names of each organisation will be shown on discs in its centre.

This will be the fifth time the display has been held in York Minster, thanks to the Dean and Chapter. There were previous displays in 1997, 1999, 2001 and 2005.

The sunflower is the symbol of the hospice movement and of St Leonard’s Hospice. It opened in 1985 and has traditionally designated June as the month for a particular effort to raise its profile around the area it serves.

As well as the giant sunflower in the Minster, events this June include the chance to tie a yellow ribbon an a tree in the Hospice grounds to honour a loved one or a friend, a special Go Yellow day tomorrow when local schools are encouraging children to dress in yellow, the popular Midnight Walk on June 18, and the Hospice’s Summer Fair on June 26.

Hospice director of fundraising Janet Morley said: “York Minster is the perfect venue for our display of sunflowers.”