A statuesque sunflower measuring 9ft 1in has taken the top spot in a competition organised by Dronfield-based financial planners, Belmayne, to raise money for its annual charities.

The Summer of Sunflowers winning specimen was grown by Treasures Neighbourhood Nursery in Staveley, near Chesterfield, helping to raise £1,250 for the Belmayne Foundation.

In total 17 nurseries and approximately 1,000 children from around North Derbyshire took part in Belmayne’s second Summer of Sunflowers competition, which raises money through corporate donations. The independent firm provides each participant with sunflower seeds, biodegradable pots and peat-free compost and asks them to submit their tallest effort for judging.

Along with the winner’s trophy, Treasures will receive a visit from a children’s entertainer, courtesy of Belmayne. Second and third places went to Marsh Lane Under 5s and Kids Planet, Newbold respectively. All three nurseries have also been given gardening sets, donated by Ferndale Garden Centre in Coal Aston.

Belmayne partner, Ben Smalley, hands over the Summer of Sunflowers winner's prize to Amelie, Benjamin and Tracy Dakin, manager of Treasures Nursery in Staveley.

placeholder image — Belmayne partner, Ben Smalley, hands over the Summer of Sunflowers winner's prize to Amelie, Benjamin and Tracy Dakin, manager of Treasures Nursery in Staveley.

All of the money raised through the initiative is being shared equally between the two charities supported by the Belmayne Foundation this year. They are Derbyshire Carers Association, which supports unpaid carers looking after a family member, partner or friend, and the Peak District’s Edale Mountain Rescue, one of the busiest mountain rescue teams in the country.

Ben Smalley, Belmayne partner and foundation trustee, said: “We’ve had a fantastic response to this year’s Summer of Sunflowers, from both participating nurseries and our corporate sponsors and I am thrilled we have raised so much money for our annual charities. We were so impressed by all of the fantastic flowers grown by the children, but Treasures’ behemoth was in another league, towering three feet above the nearest competition!”

The Belmayne Foundation was launched in 2019 and has since donated almost £44,000 to registered charities that support health and wellbeing and provide relief to those in need.