A FARMER who has planted thousands of wild flowers in his fields for a fifth year in a row has raised more than £6,000 for the local charity Elliot’s Touch through visitor donations.

Ken Sellick, of Combe Cross Farm near Stogumber, planted two and a half acres with a variety of wildflowers and opened it to the public for six weeks.

The display attracts more and more people each year and most visitors give a donation.

This year Ken decided to give the proceeds to the charity started by Watchet couple Donna and Paul Stevens after their young son died soon after his first birthday.

They have raised more than £120,000 to fund research and raise awareness of cardiomyopathy – diseases of the heart muscle – aand mitochondrial disease, a possible cause of cardiomyopathy for which there is currently no cure.

And Ken’s flowers have given them a bumper £6,017 – well up on the previous high of £3,500 raised for a scanner appeal at Musgrove Park Hospital.

Helped by the charity’s publicity on social media, news of the flower field has spread around the world – Ken heard of a woman living in Singapore who told her mother, who lives locally, to go and see it.

Donna and Paul were bowled over when they saw pictures of the field – and even more so when Ken and his wife Pauline took them to see it.

“We were amazed. It’s so beautiful, so tranquil, with beautiful views, you could hear the bees buzzing,” said Donna.

“We felt really special that Ken chose us. We can’t believe he raised such an amazing amount.