Fifteen thousand ceramic daffodils inspired by Wordsworth poem go on display at Lowther Castle

A display of over fifteen thousand ceramic daffodils has opened at Lowther Castle and Gardens.

Inspired by the poem by William Wordsworth, potter Helen Ratcliffe led the project to raise funds for six charities.

More than 500 volunteers spent three months making the daffodils and 'planting' them in the grounds of the historic castle near Penrith.

Each daffodil will be sold for £25 each in order to raise money for a selection of charities. It is a similar concept to the First World War centenary display of ceramic poppies at the tower of London in 2014.

The display will be in place until 24 June, at which point the daffodils will be delivered to their buyers.

The charities which will benefit are Another Way, Sunbeams Music Trust, Friends of the Ullswater Way, Ullswater Catchment Management CIC, The New Horizon Youth Centre and James’ Place.

One volunteer said: "We've got to know loads of new people, learn the new skills and more importantly, raise lots of really essential funds.

"We had a big celebration between all the volunteers as we got to know each other. I know it got quite competitive in terms of the numbers that we produced in our groups as well."

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