A large ceramic daffodil designed by a seven-year-old girl will be auctioned off this month to raise funds for the Great North Air Ambulance Service (GNAAS).
Matilda Windross’ daffodil has been on display in Lowther Castle amongst nine other large blooms that were designed by creative individuals, as well as ten thousand small handmade daffodils.
The daffodil installation was put in place by Dockray-based potter Helen Ratcliffe and has raised approximately £300,000 for several charities from the sale of the small daffodils.
The event comes to an end this month, and the ten large daffodils will be auctioned off online from 17 – 24 June.
Matilda’s design was one of two winning designs derived from a nationwide young persons’ competition.
The competition encouraged entrants to use nature as the source of inspiration for the glazing design and one that reflects their personal responses to the natural world or highlights environmental issues.
Matilda, who is from Watermillock, Penrith, said: “I came to my design because of my love of vivid colours and curiosity about nature. The six different insects on my design represent how important these little creatures are. You don’t have to be big to make a big difference in the world. They may be mini but they are also mighty.”
Matilda designed her daffodil over the course of two Brownie meetings, which take place at Greystoke near Penrith.
After her design was chosen as one of the winners of the competition, Helen and her team replicated Matilda’s design onto a large ceramic daffodil, measuring 68cm wide by 42cm high.
She said: “I really enjoyed creating my daffodil at Greystoke Brownies. I love nature so much, so this competition was perfect for me. Bees, butterflies, worms, caterpillars, ants and ladybirds are all small, but the world would be a lot different without them.”
Matilda visited Lowther Castle during the launch of the 10,000 daffodils event, where she got to see her daffodil for the first time.
She said: “It felt absolutely amazing to see my design on a daffodil. Helen did a really good job of bringing it to life.”
Matilda’s daffodil will be available for online bidding and the funds raised from the sale will be going to her chosen charity, which is the Great North Air Ambulance Service (GNAAS).
She said: “In Cumbria where we live there are a lot of places an ambulance can’t get to, so the air ambulance is really the only option. My grandma and great-grandma have both done fundraising for the air ambulance for a long time so I know how important it is. I hope I can raise some money to help them too.”
The auction goes ‘live’ from 12pm on Saturday 17 June until 12pm on Saturday 24 June.
To find out more about Matilda’s daffodil and place a bid, visit the ten thousand daffodils website.
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