Enchanted evening to launch Cornfield wildflower wonderland

Two Coleraine communities will be hosting an enchanted woodland evening to celebrate the launch of the Cornfield Project on Saturday 10th September.

Millburn and Ballysally won the public vote to become Grow Wild’s Northern Ireland’s flagship site in November 2015, winning funding to transform a large area in Hartford Park, Ballysally, as part of the Cornfield Project.

Community volunteers, young and old, have been busy working alongside the Conservation Volunteers to transform an area of scrubland into 7.5 acres of community woodland with beautiful wildflower meadows, sensory garden, community gardens and outdoor classroom spaces.

This fantastic project will create vivid areas of wild flowers, wildlife and environmentally sensitive spaces for all members of the public.  

The launch event is a free festival for everyone to come along and see what the project has achieved so far.  It will feature a Mad Hatter’s Fancy Dress Tea Party, live entertainment and music, storytelling, an appearance from Coleraine’s own renowned professional magician, Rodd Hogg and an outdoor cinema showing ‘Alice in Wonderland’.

The festival woodland area will come alive with twinkly lights, magical glowing trees and plenty of activities for people to get involved with including searching for bats, hunting for moths, building a bug hotel and making willow creatures with local willow artist Louise McLean.

Award winning local sculptor, Sara Cunningham Bell will unveil her new sculpture for the community space, a three metre high new insect called ‘George’ with its own neighbourhood story created especially for the Cornfield Project after collaboration with local community groups.  

Meanwhile, fellow local artist Harry McMahon along with Jenny Methven will showcase how the community has helped transform a derelict wall into inspirational wall art.

The project will be officially launched by three local children from the two communities and the Mayor of Causeway Coast and Glens, Alderman Maura Hickey.

Catherine Armstrong, who is leading the project on behalf of Aspire Community Partnership, a local consortium of grass-roots community groups who are working together for the benefit of the Causeway area, said: “The Cornfield site was an underused patch of land dividing the communities of Millburn and Ballysally in Coleraine.

“By getting local people involved to help transform the woodland we hope it will help tackle issues of low employment and health by creating activities which will increase people’s confidence, enable them to develop new skills and friendships which in turn will help provide a positive and fun sense of community.  

“By coming together and creating an area for wildlife to thrive, the natural habitat also provides all members of the community with a beautiful outdoor space to enjoy.

“The evening woodland festival will celebrate the launch of the project and hopefully encourage more people to volunteer and get involved. We hope that the framework we use here will be adopted by communities throughout Northern Ireland.”

Stephanie Baine, Grow Wild Northern Ireland Partnership Manager, said: “The Cornfield Project won a public vote to become the Grow Wild flagship project for Northern Ireland.  The project is bringing two separated communities together and it has been inspirational to see how the local community has engaged with the project.

“The woodland has truly been transformed into a magical place, the local people are getting passionate about the wildflower meadows and the training opportunities are just beginning. We would encourage anyone to come along and get involved.”

Big Lottery Fund NI Director Joanne McDowell said: "Grow Wild is all about bringing people together to improve their environment and benefit their communities, and it’s wonderful to see how local people have transformed this area.

“At the Big Lottery Fund we want to support people and communities to improve the places where they live. This fantastic project is bringing that ambition to life to create a beautiful, interesting and wildlife rich space for the community to enjoy.”

The project is inviting everyone along for an evening of enchantment on Saturday 10th September from 5.30pm to 9.30pm.

To celebrate winning their National Lottery Award, Grow Wild are giving away thousands of FREE wildflower seed packets to people all over the UK. For more information and terms and conditions please go to www.growwilduk.com.