The Arundel Green Team has created a ‘Sunflower Parade’ at the station as the result of a community-wide art project paying homage to the beauty of nature.
Volunteers from Arundel Green Team, who are the adopters of Arundel Station, and part of the Greening Arundel group, engaged hundreds of pupils from St. Philip’s Catholic Primary School and Arundel Church of England Primary School in a range of sunflower-related activities.
This included the children planting seeds to take home, nurture, and plant later at the station; making labels for the plant pots; learning about Vincent Van Gogh’s famous sunflowers painting; and painting their own sunflower-inspired murals.
The volunteers also supplied resources and supported the children to create and paint clay models of sunflower petals and leaves, with the help of ceramic artist Ali Pacey.
The individual pieces came together to form the ‘Sunflower Parade’, and the colourful mosaics now adorn the raised beds along the station path.
In keeping with Greening Arundel’s ‘Art in Nature’ initiative, the Parade also includes a sunflower-based original poem and a painting by a visiting artist from Singapore.
The project was officially launched at the end of November 2024, and local businesses showed their support by sponsoring individual mosaics along the route.
Mary Peach, volunteer with Greening Arundel, said: “It’s been a fabulous community project, connecting all ages of Arundellers in art and nature.”
Sue Webb, volunteer with Greening Arundel, said: “The project showcases some fantastic local artists who wouldn’t normally have the opportunity to display their work.”
Katrina Murray, co-chair of Greening Arundel, said: “The Sunflower Parade is such a fabulous addition to the station, and its collaborative nature perfectly represents the essence of what we are trying to achieve.
“Together, the mosaics form an uplifting, joyful display of creativity and community spirit. The whole process has been a fun experience, and the display hopefully gives pleasure to all the passers-by.”
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