AN ambitious charity project which has the support of JK Rowling and Ray Mears is now well underway.

Salisbury-based charity Plantlife launched the two-year project to create a giant Bayeux-style tapestry of Britain’s wildflowers six months ago.

Asking people to send in individual squares of patchwork inspired by Britain’s wild plants and flowers, the aim is to sew them together and create a giant patchwork meadow.

Seona Anderson from Plantlife said: “Inspiration can come from fairytale and myth, history or literature, or simply a flower or plant that is special to you.

“It can be any wild plant from a flower, grass, tree or shrub to seaweed, moss, a mushroom or fern.

“We’re encouraging people of all ages to get involved and would love schools to participate – it’s about celebrating all the wonderful things we didn’t know about wild plants and telling people about some of the underlying conservation issues.”

Any technique can be used to make the square, with embroidery, beading, felting and painting on fabric all having been used so far. Squares have included those inspired by the flowers mentioned in Shakespeare’s plays such as the cowslip and sea holly, the elder wand in Harry Potter and Ray Mears’ favourite flower, the cuckoo flower.

Each square should be 15cm by 15cm and have the name of the person (or organisation) that made it and the name or names of the plant.

The design can be a realistic depiction, a landscape or cultural setting, or an abstract design based on all or part of the plant.

The charity hopes all kinds of community groups and individuals will get together and stitch a square for the meadow.

Patchwork Meadow is part of a wider European project called Wild Flower Europe that includes Bulgaria, Croatia, Romania and Slovenia.

For more information visit plantlife.org.uk/patchworkmeadow.