A beautiful meadow of over 7,000 handmade flowers has gone on display St Peter’s Church, Dowland, to help raise awareness of mental wellbeing.

‘Meadowland’ is a colourful display both inside and outside the church in the village near Winkleigh.

The flowers have been handmade using a variety of materials, including wool, paper, wood, fabric and metal, by people of all ages in the community.

The installation is raising awareness and fundraising for two mental health charities, Mind and the suicide prevention charity Papyrus.

The natural world is known to have a positive effect on mental wellbeing, and that was the inspiration for the wildflower display.

The organisers hope Meadowland can help remove the stigma that surrounds mental health issues and encourage people to seek help.

Meadowland is also hoping to raise awareness of young people’s mental health and wellbeing.

Inside the church, there is a display which features a willow sculpture of a child, surrounded by 197 flowers.

Each flower represents a young person aged ten to 19 years old who took their own life in 2022 in England and Wales.

The phrase ‘The seeds of today are the flowers of tomorrow’ has inspired the exhibition, as the organisers believe that protection, guidance and kindness shown to the younger generation in an ever-changing and challenging world is vital.

St Peter’s Church has also been working to support children and young people in its local community through its ‘Peter’s Patch’ children’s group.

The group provides fun free activities for children, including cooking, crafting, growing vegetables, and learning about the natural world and the environment.

If you would like to visit the ‘Meadowlands’ display, you can find it at St Peter’s Church, Dowland, EX19 8PD. 

It is open on Saturdays and Sundays in July from 10am-5pm, with free entry and parking, and homemade refreshments.

Donations to Papyrus, Mind and Peter’s Patch are welcome.

This is not the first creative project which the church and community have been involved in. Back in 2022, a cascade of handmade poppies was erected from the tower to remember three village soldiers killed in the First World War.