An exciting new community project is coming to Barking and Dagenham, with local people being invited to get together and create handmade flowers that express their personalities.

Flower Folk will see people from across the borough knitting flowers and making them out of plastic bottles. These will then be displayed during the whole Summer of Festivals programme, which is taking place from June to September this year.

The Summer of Festivals starts with Barking Folk Festival on 8 June and 9 June and this is when a large proportion of the flowers designed will be exhibited, alongside the beautifully knitted trees decorations that were on display last year.

Participants can design their flower in a way that they feel reflects their personality, with the project forming part of ‘This is Me’ – a celebration of what makes each of us unique, and how together we all help to make our unique community.

Whether you want to knit your flower, make it from a plastic bottle, or even knit some bunting for the festival season, anyone can get involved. The best place to start is by watching our flower making tutorial:

If that looks right up your street then simply get to work at home and drop off your completed flowers at Barking Learning Centre or Dagenham Library.

Or why not join one of our Festival Crafts drop in sessions? They take place every Friday from 10am to 12pm, in Meeting Room 3 on the first floor of Barking Learning Centre.

Schools, clubs or families wishing to take part can also email summeroffestivals@lbbd.gov.uk for more information about getting involved.

"This is Me is an exciting opportunity to celebrate all of the unique individuals who help make up Barking and Dagenham"

Councillor Saima Ashraf, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Community Leadership and Engagement, is excited about the project:

“This is Me is an exciting opportunity to celebrate all of the unique individuals who help make up Barking and Dagenham, and Flower Folk is a great chance for people to tell their story in an unconventional and creative way,” she said.

“It will be fantastic to see all the flowers that people have made on display at the Summer of Festivals programme, demonstrating the wonderfully diverse range of people that come together to make us one borough and one community.”

You can find out more by visiting our This is Me page and put the Summer of Festivals dates in your diary.