Community groups, businesses and charities are invited to dig in and help make Worthing seafront bloom by adopting one of the seafront flower beds.
The Seafront Planters Project is a joint initiative between Worthing Borough Council and the community to design and decorate the flower beds that adorn the promenade.
Previously run as an annual planting event to bring the flower beds to life for the spring and summer, the aim of the project this year is to create mini coastal gardens that will flourish all year round.
More than half of the 41 flower beds have already been snapped up. And now the Council is putting a call out to local groups, charities and businesses to adopt the remaining flower beds and be part of this community initiative.
Local sculptors, woodcarvers and artists are also encouraged to get involved and adopt a plot to showcase their work at this prime seafront location.
They will all come together for two annual volunteer planting days led by the Council's Coastal Office. The first planting day is taking place on Sunday 22nd May 2022 with a second event planned for November to prepare the flower beds for winter.
Gardening skills are not required as the Council's Parks and Foreshore team - including some of the gardeners from Highdown - will be on hand to offer their top gardening tips to the volunteer planters.
The Council will also be supplying a range of coastal plants, along with native perennials that will thrive on the seafront and colourful annual flowering plants such as sunflowers and cornflowers, all sourced from local suppliers, for plot holders to incorporate into their garden designs.
And the initiative will be underpinned by an important message about sustainability - single-use plastic in displays will not be allowed and the plot holders will be encouraged to incorporate reclaimed items from the beach that the team from the Coastal Office have salvaged during their patrols.
This includes items such as driftwood, discarded fishing nets and seashells such as slipper limpets and scallop shells, which are not important to the local ecosystem or used by other marine creatures.
Coastal Warden Kellie Newman is co-ordinating the Worthing Seafront Planters Project. She said:
“We're really excited to be building on a popular annual event which has been running for almost a decade and to make it so that the flower beds can be enjoyed all year round, not just for the summer.
“By introducing a new twist this year, we hope to create beautiful and educational displays for the local community to enjoy at the same time as supporting local businesses, groups, artists and charities.
“It will add vibrancy to our seafront and be a further attraction for the thousands of people who visit Worthing each year to enjoy.”
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