Creating hope through action

In the summer of 2023, sunflowers began to appear across various sites in the Canton area of Cardiff, at Chapter Arts Centre, Victoria Park, and the Buddhist Centre. These plantings were carried out by friends and family of James, who had taken his life in February of that year.

In the heat of the day and the cool of the evening, the ground was gently dug. Soil was sifted softly through fingers, seedlings lifted with care. People worked together, shoulder to shoulder — present, focused, connected. And once the sunflowers took root, their sun-seeking beauty captivated the local community, sparking both curiosity and joy.

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Photographs and video footage captured during the planting were later shaped into a short film. Chapter Arts Centre kindly provided a space to bring James’s wider circle of friends together to watch it. Laughter, tears, and memories flowed. The film reminded us all that letting go of loss does not mean letting go of love.

As we shared the story of the planting with others, deep conversations followed - about grief, healing, and the activities that help us grow when we’ve been dropped into the depths of llife. Time and again, people spoke of the value of connection - how we talk to each other, how we show up for each other and the restorative power of nature.

Sunflowers have long been associated with hope, strength, and resilience. And it’s no wonder. They are biologically wired to follow the sun, always turning their heads toward the light. Even on cloudy days, they lean toward brightness. In times of pain, symbols like this matter. When there are no words, the presence
of something familiar and quietly radiant can offer comfort and meaning.

After this first season, we felt a strong desire to share the inspiration of sunflowers with as many people as possible, along with the quiet, grounding gifts of gardening and the natural world.

In April 2024, with no formal plan, we began conversations with a wide range of people about creating a broader community, one that would use the sunflower as a shared symbol of hope. James’s family and friends wanted his legacy to focus on life, not death.

As more people engaged, the project began to change. It became richer, deeper, and more layered in meaning. This transformation mirrored our own grief journeys, shifting from shock and paralysis toward a fuller celebration of life, and the many gifts James had brought to us all. It felt as though the project itself was offering a quiet faithfulness to the process of growth after loss, gently pointing toward what’s possible. By April 2025 we identified a number of sunflower sowers, growers and hosts across Cardiff, sites willing to grow and display the flowers in public-facing places. Our hope was that, as these golden dancers bloomed, they would spark joy, invite reflection, and inspire others to share their own stories.

James’s garden at Chapter Arts Centre

Thanks to personal donations and funding from Platfform, we were able to purchase seeds, pots, compost, and canes. We also created hand-sewn fabric flags, each carrying words of comfort and inspiration, displayed alongside the flowers. Durable signage was produced, featuring our project’s logo and a link to our Instagram account, where people could read about how the initiative came to be, explore photographs from across the city, and learn about the community of organisations involved.

We are especially grateful to Platfform for funding the creation of this website. It has allowed us the space to reflect, to trace the roots of this work, understand how it came about, and to honour the foundations on which it stands.

Creating hope through action

James’s garden at Chapter Arts Centre

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