A giant sunflower has become a fitting reminder to a late loved one.

The plant is the emblem of East Cheshire Hospice where John Quinn was cared for before he died in July, aged 63.

His sister, Mary Dalzell, and her husband Martin collected a sachet of seeds from the hospice while visiting John several weeks earlier.

The seeds were left over from the charity's Starlight Walk and were free to visitors in the reception area.

Mary said: "We took a couple of packets home. We'd planted sunflowers before but hadn't had too much success with them.

"This one went crazy, though. We took a photograph to show how big it was. It was only planted in May and measured 11 and a half feet."

Martin added: "I planted other seeds in the garden, and in a trough, and some reached a normal height of about three feet.

"But this one was like Jack and the Beanstalk. It just kept growing and growing. The trunk is so thick you can just about fit your hand round it.

"It hasn't stopped growing and has lots of heads. I can't explain it. It's in a sun trap next to the house and was fed with tomato plant food during the drought.

"I don't know if that's the magic ingredient for making the sunflower grow like crazy, apart from watering it."

John played the keyboard in St Alban's Church on Sundays after moving to Tytherington in 2020.

Mary said: "Church music was the love of John's life and, even when he was quite poorly, we managed to get him to St Alban's where he was welcomed into the community.

"He spent more than a fortnight at the hospice before moving to a nursing home.

"His life improved after he went to the hospice, even though he didn't have long left. He was well looked after and treated with dignity and care.

"The change in him was amazing. It was a positive experience and we're grateful.

"I suppose our sunflower, the hospice symbol, is a reminder of what the charity did for him. It represents the level of care he received and the community who work there."

The couple hope that more seeds will again flourish outside their Prestbury home next year.

___________________________________________

Macclesfield Nub News is proud to be partnered with East Cheshire Hospice.

Support from local organisations such as them helps us keep our local news free and easy-to-read.

If you own a local business and would like to sponsor us, get in touch at [email protected].