Wakehurst ready to Glow Wild
The eighth edition of the popular winter event in Haywards Heath is now underway
One of the most popular winter events in Sussex has returned for its eighth event.
Glow Wild at Wakehurst in Haywards Heath features light installations across the 500 acre site and the UK's tallest living Christmas tree, standing at 37 metres tall.
Following the Coronavirus pandemic, this year's theme is 'anthropause' meaning the impact on nature of human activity slowing down.
The event aims to explore how the behaviour of plants and creatures changed, and even thrived during the various lockdowns.
Wakehurst is home to plant species from across the world and Lorraine Lecourtois, Head of Public Programmes, says Glow Wild is crucial to fund their ongoing work.
She said: "It's really important. The Royal Botanic Gardens of Kew is partially government funded but we have to provide more than 50%, nearly 60% of our funding ourselves through our own commercial activities and fundraising".
It's also hoped that by making the gardens burst with colour, it may bring young children in and get them interested about biodiversity.
Lorraine continued: "When we're designing Glow Wild we think about the inner child a lot, be that actual children or all of us and our inner child. What you see round the corner, what the wow moment is, that really does drive how we put the artwork together on the trail".