Tulip spectacle helping to prevent hospice cuts

A sprawling striped patchwork of tulips has reopened to the public, raising money for a hospice that says it could be forced to cut services and jobs without the funding.

About 9.1 million of the bell-shaped blooms now carpet 20 acres (8ha) near Sandringham, Norfolk, and should raise £500,000 for Tapping House hospice in nearby Hillington.

Thousands of visitors parade among the spring blossoms during the annual two-week display, becoming a magnet for Instagrammers.

Tapping House's chief executive, Niki Ellis, said if the event did not take place the charity would have to consider closing services or reducing staff numbers.

The hospice provides free care in Norfolk and North Cambridgeshire to adults living with life-limiting illnesses, as well as supporting their carers, families and friends.

It runs a series of fundraising events throughout the year, and it is the sixth time Tulips for Tapping, which opened on Thursday, has been held.

Ellis said the charity had to raise about £5.7m each year to maintain its operations and pressures on the whole hospice sector were mounting.

"We're seeing cuts in our funding as our costs go up and wages go up," she said.

"The funding we're getting from the NHS is just not keeping up with that, so it's now sitting at around 22% of our funding.

"The rest of it we have to income-generate through events like this."

The hospice head said the ticketed showstopping display, which once doubled as Munchkinland in Hollywood blockbuster Wicked, was its major fundraiser and also represented the spirit of its services.

"We're delivering care in the community, and we believe in bringing joy to people's life and living life to the full right to the end," said Ellis.

"This is totally symbolic of the work that we do: it's about joy, it's about colour, creativity, and those vital funds enable us to do that in loads of different ways."

Volunteers turn out to plant the fields at Belmont Nurseries.

Its director Mark Eves said he was "proud" of their work, and for the nursery to be involved with the project.

"It's quite an amazing thing to be a part of," he said.

Tulips for Tapping will run until Monday 27 April, but Eves' thoughts are already focused on what needs to happen next.

"We'll take all the heads off because all the energy from making a flower head... goes down into the bulb instead," said Eves.

"In July time, we'll be lifting these bulbs, grading and sorting them - some for sale, and some will go into flower production during next winter."

Follow Norfolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.