Blooming great sunflower field raising money for organisations

Blooming great sunflower field raising money for organisations

3 September 2025

A FIELD near Downpatrick is a blaze of colour thanks to almost one million sunflowers.

The Sunflower Meadow welcomed visitors at the weekend and will also be open this Saturday and Sunday.

Admission is free, but visitors are encouraged to make donations, which will go three deserving local organisations – Alls Lives are Precious (ALPS), Macmillan Cancer Support and Downpatrick Lions Club, which is co-ordinating the event.

First opened in 2021, the Sunflower Meadow has raised over £40,000 for deserving causes.

It wasn’t open in 2023 or 2024 owing to bad weather, but now it’s back and looking better than ever.

The meadow is located at 101 Strangford Road, Downpatrick, on land owned by Lawrence and Veronica McVeigh.

Veronica, who received help from Macmillan Cancer Support after being diagnosed with the disease, says it is her way of giving something back.

“I can’t stress this enough. I’m a survivor, I believe in giving back,” she said.

“They have been over-generous in relation to me to get to the stage where I am today. I can’t thank Macmillan nurses [enough], particularly Rosie and Martina.”

Veronica also had a personal connection to ALPS, which helped her avail of counselling services following her cancer diagnosis.

Veronica’s husband, Lawrence, is a member of Downpatrick Lions Club.

Club president George Johnson said that it was an important way to give back to good causes but also to enjoy the beauty of nature.

“It’s pretty much a waiting game when it comes to sunflowers, you pray for good weather and plenty of rain and plenty of sunshine,” he said.

“We’ve been very fortunate; it’s really bloomed and it’s fantastic. They’re all ready now for harvest – there’s still a few to come out – but the majority of them are out and they look absolutely stunning.”

He added: “It’s kind of a wee secret land; you drive past that lane, and you’ll never see it. You’ll find people sitting on benches along the way and they’ll just sit, off their phones, and they’ll just relax and look at the beauty of nature.”

Members of the public can visit the Sunflower Meadow on Saturday and Sunday between 11.30am and 5.30pm.