Norfolk tulips draw record crowds and raise over £300,000 for charity
More than 25,000 people visited the flowers
An annual event which sees thousands of people flock to a field of colourful tulips in Kings Lynn has raised more than £300,000 for charity.
The organisers of Tulips for Tapping - tulip growers Mark and Susanne Eves of Norfolk Tulips - tell us it's been their biggest and most successful event in the four years it's been running.
The event which closed on Monday 29th April after a two week run, drew over 25,000 visitors to the Kings Lynn area, who travelled from all over the UK to see the spectacle of 6.3 million tulips in bloom.
Every penny of the £322,294 raised from the event will go directly to the charity The Norfolk Hospice Tapping House, which supports end of life care to patients and their families.
"Overwhelmed by the generosity of the visitors"
Nicola Ellis, Chief Executive at The Norfolk Hospice Tapping House said: “We were delighted to have the opportunity to partner with Norfolk Tulips to deliver this incredible event again this year and so grateful to Mark and Susanne Eves for their continued commitment to us.
"We have been overwhelmed by the generosity of the visitors who came from near and far to see the magnificent sight of the tulip fields.
“As a charity providing free end of life care and bereavement services to 4,500 people every year in Norfolk – both in our Hospice and in their homes - we are increasingly reliant on the income that events such as these raise.
"We need to raise more than £4 million each year to deliver our transformational services to patients and families. The past two years have been particularly challenging financially, so we were thrilled that Tulips for Tapping has once again been so successful!"
"It is a privilege"
Susanne Eves Director at Norfolk Tulips/PS & JE Ward Ltd said: “We are continually amazed by the interest in our tulip crop and astounded by the amount of visitors we have received over the 10 day opening, and yet we still can't keep up with visitor demand.
"We would not be able to open the fields without the considerable efforts of the Fundraising Team and all the volunteers that give their time to raise funds for this cause that is very much close to our hearts.
"It is a privilege to work with those people who help put the event together”.
The tulip fields are now closed and tulips can no longer be seen in the field.
Plans are in place for the event to return next year.