The Dorset Sunflower Trail is back for another year.

Maiden Castle Farm is running a major fundraising event for the second year running supporting two important charities.

The farm will create a spectacular sunflower trail which will raise funds for the DCH Kingfisher Ward and Cherkasy Hospital in Ukraine. Half the profits generated by the trail will be donated by the farm, to be shared equally between these two chosen charities.

This year organiser Hazel Hoskin is working closely with Dorchester Town Council on a range of additional events and activities in Dorchester, all based around the theme of sunflowers.

Visitors will be encouraged to visit Dorchester town centre from mid July to see spectacular sunflower sculptures suspended across South Street. There will also be sunflower themed shop windows across the town as local retailers join in with the activities.

Dorchester’s beautiful Borough Gardens will be a popular venue as it showcases a range of sunflower varieties which have been specially grown to highlight the beauty of these amazing flowers.

The main event will happen in August at Maiden Castle Farm itself, when the sunflower crop is fully grown and in all its glory. The sunflower trail created on the farm will be a highlight for many people, especially the many thousands who visited the attraction last summer.

The main trail will take an estimated 40 minutes but there will also be a shorter trail for any visitors with accessibility requirements. The attraction will include a photograph competition, opportunities for sundowner sessions, Pilates in the sunflowers and more to be announced.

To boost the green credentials of the event, visitors will be encouraged to follow a special scenic path all the way from Dorchester’s town centre to the heart of the trail – a distance of about 1.5 miles. All this in the farm’s amazing location nestled at the foot of the historic Maiden Castle – the largest prehistoric hill fort in England.

You are invited to bring a picnic and enjoy dining next to one of the largest and most complex Iron Age Hillforts in Europe. Following your visit to the Trail, access to the Maiden Castle Hillfort (which is maintained by English Heritage) is free and further exploration is suggested for a different viewpoint of the Sunflowers and panoramic views of the Dorset Countryside.

Hazel Hoskin said: “It was a fantastic seeing the thousands of people who visited the farm last year to experience the sunflowers. We heard about many examples of people making special memories there and with their support we raised a lot of money for the special care unit at DCH. With all the sunflowers in the town centre we think this year will be even better and we hope that even more people will come along and join in the excitement.”

Hazel is also working with some local schools to get families across the town growing sunflowers in their own gardens. They will use seeds collected from the sunflowers grown on Maiden Castle Farm last year. #sunflowersuperhighway

Dorchester Town Council are funding the town centre sunflower sculptures and organising the sunflower shop window display competition. They are looking forward to all the colour and spectacle this will bring to the town this summer, providing even more for visitors to experience and enjoy.

A spokesman said: “It is brilliant to be able to work with Maiden Castle Farm and shops across the town to create such a great attraction and raise money for local and Ukrainian causes. We have all been devastated to see the events unfolding in Ukraine and the sunflower is the Ukrainian National flower too. All of these sunflowers are going to be so beneficial for local bees and biodiversity too.”

Tickets will go on Sale in July 2022. To keep updated follow us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/MaidenCastleFarm and website www.maidencastlefarm.co.uk