To light our paths through this difficult time, the Biodiscovery Institute invites everyone at the University of Nottingham, and their family and friends, to grow a sunflower.  

By growing sunflowers on our windowsills, in our homes and in our gardens (and sharing the results), it’s hoped the local and global University community will have fun, feel closer together and share a sense of achievement. 

Now’s the time to plant sunflower seeds, which can be easily grown on windowsills or outdoors (video here).  

#WeAreUoN and #RayOfSunshine

We’d love to see photos, from seedlings to final giants – please share them on social media, tagging @UniOfNottingham on Twitter or Instagram with #WeAreUoN and #RayOfSunshine or sharing them on the BioDiscovery Institute’s Social Hub Facebook page.

Awards will be given for tallest sunflower (indoor and outdoor plants judged separately), and for best photo and time-lapse video.   

To take part, please enter your details by Wednesday 8 April.  

The Biodiscovery Institute’s engagement team are distributing sunflower seeds and will make sure you can collect your seeds safely from an area near you. If you have bird feed, most contain sunflower seeds or we can give details of online suppliers still trading. 

We look forward to being creative together. When we return to our workplaces, the Estates team will be ready to welcome colleagues and visitors with displays of sunflowers, while the BioDiscovery Institute will show off your photographs and also plant sunflowers around its newly extended building on University Park. 

We hope students and staff from across our UK, China and Malaysia campuses will enjoy growing sunflowers and sharing photos of their handiwork. 

Let’s bring a splash of colour and rays of sunshine into our lives.