For some years the media have been talking about ‘food miles’, encouraging us to buy food that has been locally grown, locally produced, locally made.  It’s a good way of reducing carbon emissions and other ways that we consume and pollute our beautiful planet.   Eating locally and seasonally available food means no hothouses too.  It’s time to think the same way about flowers …

Jacqui Franklin, an artisan florist with 20 years experience, has started growing her own flowers just up the hill from Sun Rising.  As well as supplying florists further afield, Jacqui’s flowers are available at Tysoe Post Office.  For families who would like to lay a few cut flowers on a new grave or by a memorial plaque here at Sun Rising, on those special occasions, this is wonderfully local …

Growing Beds at Hope and Glory Flowers

Under the name Hope and Glory Flowers, Jacqui is working with husband Alan, whose landscaping business ProGardens has helped us out at Sun Rising with end-of-season mowing for the last few years. Jacqui can be reached on hopeandgloryflowerco@gmail.com.  Hope and Glory are part of Flowers from the Farm, a national movement supporting small British flower growers, reducing ‘flower miles’ and the carbon footprint of the cut flower industry.

Sam Moore is running a half marathon on Saturday 11 November, with funds raised being split between Katharine House Hospice and Sun Rising, in memory of his dear dad Noel.  Do please log on to his fundraising page and support him.  Just a little from everyone makes a huge difference!  https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/inmemoryofnoel

Sam getting ready for his marathon

There is something extraordinary about large stones.  In millennia past there would have been vast stones scattered across the landscape, strewn by the surging forces of water and ice which have long since receded.  Over time, however, these stones would have been broken up and moved by those clearing the fields for farming, and claiming the stone for building.  Seeing a huge stone now is a magical experience – and such experiences provoke us to pause, to wonder, to feel the power of nature.  They slow us down in a delightful way.

At Sun Rising we have today set two such stones in place.  The larger is around 5′ tall, the round one behind it slightly smaller but still over a tonne in weight.  They stand directly on the sight line from the main car park, along the track, through the roundhouse and beyond.  The last section of that, over grass, is a path we’ll be mowing, encouraging visitors to wander up to the stones and pause.

Tyr’s Stone, looking South, at Sun Rising

The local quarries from which this honey-coloured Hornton stone has been dug for some centuries once employed a third of the area’s working men.  Living on starvation wages, labouring in harsh conditions year-round, this stone not only draws our minds to the beauty of nature but it also acknowledges all those men, sons, husbands, brothers, whose hard lives were so grounded in this landscape.  I hope the peace found at Sun Rising in some way touches their memory.

We are very pleased to announce that we have once again been awarded a Green Flag for the natural burial ground and nature reserve.  This is very special to us: the Green Flag has a very high standard, and the high marks we were given last time have been significantly raised with this year’s award.

Our Green Flag 2017-18

The judges inspecting the site carefully consider every aspect of the project, looking at ecology, sustainability, public engagement and management, from what seeds are sown to how we recycle.  The Green Flag is a valuable way of ensuring that what we are doing is as good as it can be – for us, for the planet, for every family and visitor, and for all those who have been laid to rest here amidst the trees and wildflowers.

In the picture above, managers Emma and David Restall Orr (on the right) are holding up the flag together with trustees and members of The Friends of Sun Rising.  We all look as we should do after a long and rewarding Nature Watch Day, recording butterflies and moths, plants and birds, beetles and dragonflies at the site.

The flag itself is not something that we will be flying from a flagpole, as it would seem a little out of keeping with the gentle feel of the place, but we will have a plaque made.

The Friends of Sun Rising 2018 wall calendar is now in production.  This is an A3 wall calendar, with a photograph per month, each picture taken at Sun Rising and donated to the project. The calendars will be sold in aid of The Friends: they are £10 each and will be available at events.  It’s a short print run, and a second printing will open happen if we have enough orders to make it worthwhile.  Let us know if you’re interested! Check out the page on the website : 2018 Calendar.

Friends of Sun Rising 2018 Calendar (Back Cover)

At Sun Rising we have now installed the first drafts of our habitat interpretation boards.

If you were to walk around the nature reserve, you would find eight at the moment, and another handful are planned to go up towards the end of the year.  They cover the established wildflower meadow, young woodland, grassland, hedgerow, the wildlife pond, ruderal borders, the birdfeeders, and the margin of tussocky plants and grasses.  These are key habitats within the nature reserve.

Habitat Interpretation Board : Birdfeeders

Our aim is to create boards that are informative, both about the particular habitat and about how we manage that habitat as part of the nature reserve.  There are photographs, all taken at Sun Rising, of plants, birds, butterflies, moths, mammals, that may be found there.

We are hoping that families, friends and other visitors will have a wander around, look at the pictures, read the text, and give us feedback.  Are they in the right places and easy to read?  Can you find any errors?

If you have a chance, do have a look and let us know what you think.  Once we have had a good amount of feedback, we will transform these drafts into long term boards.