Thousands of ceramic daffodils to carpet Lowther Castle grounds

Prototypes are currently being made with work ongoing to settle on the final shade of yellow glazing

Ten thousand ceramic daffodils are to carpet the grounds of a Cumbrian castle in a bid to raise £300,000 for charity.

Inspired by a line from a famous William Wordsworth poem, the flowers will be displayed at Lowther Castle, near Penrith.

Potter Helen Ratcliffe, who is overseeing the project, said it would be "incredibly challenging" but also "a truly rewarding adventure".

The display is set to run for two months from late April next year.

Ms Ratcliffe, of Dockray, told BBC Radio Cumbria she had been devising ways to celebrate the landscapes of the Ullswater Valley when she came up with the Ten Thousand Daffodils project.

'Right tones'

"I thought of daffodils and reviewed the William Wordsworth poem [I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud - widely known as daffodils] which has the line 'Ten thousand saw I at a glance' and that's how we got to here.

"I'm going through the different yellows of glaze testing and working closely with the head gardener to make sure we get the right tones for the setting."

Artist Helen Ratcliffe devised the project as a way to celebrate the Ullswater Valley

With work currently under way on unglazed prototypes, the daffodils for the display will be created from December onwards at a barn at the castle.

Volunteers are wanted to help with their production, with Ms Ratcliffe saying "no experience is required at all" for a process she describes as "pretty straight forward".

Once the display has ended in June, the clay flowers will be sold off to raise money for six charities - similar to the ceramic poppies displayed at the Tower of London in 2014.