Council encourages families of newly born babies to ‘Watch Them Grow’
21st June 2021
To celebrate the arrival of new life in the district and as part of Fermanagh and Omagh District Council’s commitment to enhance our living spaces and the wellbeing of our residents, the Council’s Registration service and biodiversity team have partnered up to present a packet of sunflower seeds to parents of newborns to mark each new birth registered in the district.
Speaking about the initiative, the Chair of Fermanagh and Omagh District Council, Councillor Errol Thompson, said:
“As we come out of the pandemic and begin to move on from the challenges the last 15 months have posed to us, the idea of presenting a packet of sunflower seeds to celebrate each new birth registered in the district, represents a certain synergy of hope for a brighter future as we watch them both grow. The planting of the sunflower seed brings forth a rich and vibrant flower and that same richness, joy and vibrancy is brought to families with the arrival of a new baby.
Sunflowers grow towards the sun and this is a reminder that we should focus on the light and brighter days. There is no doubt that gardening, irrespective of whether you have a large garden or a window box, has been a great source of enjoyment during the pandemic and has been proven to help reduce stress and help improve our mood.”
There is an added bonus in planting sunflowers as they have a positive impact on biodiversity keeping bees and other pollinators happy, as they provide lots of nectar in the one large flowerhead and birds love to eat the seeds after the sunflower has flowered.
Mums, dads, grandparents, older brothers and sisters can get involved in planting the seeds, nurturing them and enjoy watching them grow, just as you watch your new baby grow.
The world record for a sunflower currently stands at 9.17m high and it would be great to see if any of our residents can better that figure and grow the world’s tallest sunflower.
Fermanagh and Omagh District Council would like to congratulate the families on the birth of their new babies and hopes the complimentary sunflower seeds will be a happy reminder of their new arrival.