Daffodil Sunday at St Mary's Pyrton

A CHURCH in Pyrton hosted its first of two daffodil and afternoon teas on Sunday.

Visitors wondered around the church and churchyard at St Mary’s before walking two minutes down Knightsbridge Lane to the village hall for tea and cake.

Philip Pinney, one of the church council members, and a past treasurer, said: “The daffodils were originally planted between 1880 and 1890 by my great great aunt, Charlotte Coxe, the wife of the vicar, Rev Hilgrove Coxe.

“She loved flowers and so spent time planting many in the churchyard.”

After a decade in Pyrton, the pair moved to Brightwell Baldwin, before relocating to Watlington for retirement. Mr Pinney, who lived in Pyrton from 1968 to 2021, added: “We started what’s called a ‘living sanctuary’ here just over 20 years ago, which meant we stopped cutting grass in the churchyard before August and then all the wildflowers grew. When we then did cut it, we spread the grass and seeds around, which is why you’ll now see flowers in every corner of the churchyard.”

Maura Moran, from Oxford, came down for a walk and catch-up with friends, when one of them, who lives locally, suggested a stop off at the church.

She described the scene as “beautiful” and “cleverly partnered with cake”.

Held on Mother’s Day, many families attended, with Joanne Earley and her mother-in-law, Margaret Earley, describing it as “amazing” and drawing parallels to the snowdrops at Swyncombe church.

Hugh Garforth-Bles, the church’s chairman, said: “It can be a bit hit and miss some years but this is a fabulous display — those who come are particularly lucky. We are well known for the churchyard — it’s such a lovely, peaceful place.

“We made a path recently to allow visitors an even better view of the church and the daffodils from the south and we were fortunate enough to have two benches donated to us over the past year.”

The village hall offered 16 types of baked goods, from scones to carrot cake and brownies, while each table was decorated with daffodils.

The event will run again on Sunday, from 2pm to 4.30pm, with volunteers hoping to raise around £1,000 over the two days, a similar total to last year.