A Fife farmer has cut the word Hope in a field the size of four football pitches brimming with sunflowers.
Claire Pollock of Ardross Farm, near Elie, created a maze in the stunning sea of yellow flowers on the banks of the Firth of Forth.
The ambitious task involved hundreds of thousands of sunflowers.
And it followed a request from local Church of Scotland minister Douglas Creighton, whose congregation wanted to recognise the promise of better days ahead.
Mr Creighton said the “Field of Hope” was a spectacular celebration of the community spirit shown in the East Neuk during the Covid lockdown.
And a number of good causes will also benefit from Claire’s efforts.
The field will officially open to the public at 10.30am on Saturday, with people charged £5 entry, or £15 for a family ticket.
Bright and cheery
Mr Creighton, minister of East Neuk Trinity Church linked with St Monans, said local charities had struggled to fundraise during the pandemic.
“It has been a grim 18 months for many and we wanted to mark the end of the lockdown with something really spectacular,” he said.
“Who doesn’t love sunflowers?
“They are very bright and cheery and look to one another as they follow the sun around.”
Mr Creighton will open the Field of Hope with a short dedication service.
And the project is linked to a wider community initiative which saw pupils at three local primary schools given pots of sunflower seeds to grow at home.
Meanwhile, other locals planted the flowers in parks and they’re all now in full bloom.
“We wanted to spread some much-needed cheer as far and wide across the parish as possible,” said Mr Creighton, who is a former primary school headteacher.
Really Wild Welly Church
The minister will also launch a new intergenerational project called the Really Wild Welly Church at the same time.
It’s a new form of outdoor worship for all ages.
The idea was formed in lockdown when all churches were closed.
“Our hope is that these community projects show people that church is much more than just gathering in a traditional building on a Sunday morning.”
Hope for the future
Meanwhile, Claire Pollock, 30, was delighted to sow the Field of Hope.
She runs Ardross Farm with mum Fiona and older sisters Nikki Storrar and Tara Clark.
“After everything we’ve been through, I thought it was a great idea to try to give people a sense of hope for the future,” she said.
“This field near our farm shop is around 1.5 hectares, the size of nearly four football fields.
“People really like sunflowers and for the last five to six years we’ve been planting strips of them to spread some joy around the area.
“But we could never have imagined anything on this scale until Douglas came along and suggested it.”
The Field of Hope will be open most weekends from 10am to 4pm until the end of the flowering season.