There's still an opportunity to pick up actor Martin Clune's fundraising sunflowers.

The Doc Martin star decided to sell the flowers to raise money for Julia's House Children's Hospice, of which he is a patron, after the charity had to cancel and postpone many fundraising events due to the coronavirus pandemic.

He said: "I was thinking of things to do and all we've ever grown is grass before and there's a little field tucked away, it's about six acres, and it was all quite an adventure - quite stressful. The first thing that happened was my seed were held up in customs

"We finally got the field ploughed with great excitement. I don't think it's ever been ploughed, my neighbour has been here for 35 years and he said he's never seen anybody plough it it's just been used for pasture.

"We ploughed it, then sowed it and then the agonising wait, and now they are all going mental."

Martin started delivering to local businesses earlier this month, but he has now enlisted the help of others.

He added: "I'm slightly getting overtaken because it has just been me with the local outlets, but now an army of fantastic volunteers are going to help pick and they are going to use their vans, because they want some [sunflowers] in Weymouth and others.

"It's all a voyage of discovery and I've loved it and I've loved being up there. It's very peaceful up there."

Martin plugged the sunflowers on BBC's The One Show last week and they have had a surge in popularity, and it's something he would love to do again to raise money for the charity.

"I might go down the pick your own route," he said, "which I didn't know about.

"There's no price, people just give what they want, what they can afford and they last, they will do over a week in water. We've had some in the fire place for over a week and they are still looking lovely."

The sunflowers are currently available from Rise Bakery, Washingpool Farm Shop and Framptons in Bridport, Rambling Rose in Beaminster. Follow Julia's House Children's Hospice on Facebook for updates on where the sunflowers are available from.

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