Barton Seagrave children to plant 900 daffodils to mark historic anniversary

St Botolph's Church in Barton Seagrave will be planting 900 daffodil bulbs to mark its 900th anniversary.
St Botolph's Church in Barton SeagraveSt Botolph's Church in Barton Seagrave
St Botolph's Church in Barton Seagrave

Children from Barton Seagrave primary school and Hayfield Cross primary school will be planting the bulbs in the churchyard on Thursday, October 3, ready to flower in the coming spring.

Derek Wade, chairman of the St Botolph festival planning group said: "In 1120-22, Geoffrey de Clinton is recorded as having built on the current site of St Botolph’s in Barton Seagrave, a church with Norman architecture.

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"There may well have been an earlier building on the site, but we can be sure that by 2020, there will have been a Christian presence in Barton Seagrave for at least 900 years."

To mark the nine centuries of presence in Barton Seagrave, St Botolph's church will be holding a series of special activities and events throughout 2020 called Festival 900+.

Other events planned for the new year include the planting of nine trees in Church House garden in February, a civic service in April and tours of the church in May to showcase the history of the building.

The 900 daffodils will bloom during the spring of the festival celebrations, which will also include the first Barton Seagrave Festival of Music with six professional concerts in May 2020.

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More activities are being planned, including a cricket match, a rounders match, the burying of a time capsule and a harvest supper.

Most events will be free of charge to commemorate the long history between the church and community and locals are being invited to participate as much as possible.

More information can be found on their website.