Forres In Bloom grows giant sunflower for Rotary Club of Forres' 70th birthday

GREEN-fingered volunteers paid tribute to another much-loved local group in the best way they know how.

Forres In Bloom (FIB) grew a giant sunflower as a tribute to Rotary Club of Forres, which is celebrating an important milestone.

FIB secretary, Sandra Maclennan, confirmed the huge plant took the gardeners by surprise.

She explained: “We planted sunflower seeds in pots to grow to celebrate the Rotary’s 70th birthday. Some didn’t germinate so I emptied the seed pots into a big tub to re-use the compost.

“It was like Jack and the Beanstalk when a flower appeared and just grew and grew! It’s the biggest one that we planted through the town.

“Mother Nature wins!”

The Rotary Club of Forres sunflower is planted in the WeeFIBee’s Garden at Grant Park.

Club president Tony Galloway believes it is a fitting representation of the ongoing relationship between the two groups of local volunteers.

He said: “The sunflowers propagated are a great tribute and symbol of the way the Rotary has grown with the town over the last 70 years.

“To celebrate our birthday, club members have been very busy completing challenges such as 70 holes of golf, cycling and walking 70 miles, making 70 jars of jam, donating 70 articles of clothing, filling and donating 70 food parcels, filling 70 food parcels.

“The public has been really supportive.”