A local farm known more for its Christmas trees is once again teaming up with the Alzheimer's Society of Chatham-Kent.
Puddleford Tree Farm near Kent Bridge has opened its gates for residents to come check out their field of sunflowers.
It started five years ago with co-owners Gail and Matthew Whitney planting a field of sunflowers on their farm in a spot where they didn't have Christmas trees.
"We have two acres, about 20,000 flowers that we decided we would open it up to the public, let them walk through the sunflowers and enjoy the bright sunny sunflowers, and raise some money for the Alzheimer's Society," said Gail.
All of the seeds for the sunflowers are from Pioneer and were donated by Anderson Family Seeds.
The Whitney's chose to partner with the Alzheimer's Society of Chatham-Kent because it touches a lot of people.
"My father had memory issues, and my sister and I took care of him and found how difficult it was to keep him settled and keep him happy when he was confused," said Gail.
All of the money raised goes to the Alzheimer's Day program.
"It also offers a respite for the caregivers, "said Gail. "Alzheimer's affects everyone in the family, not just the person that has it, and we just found that this is a good way to give back to the community, and give some people a little bit of a break."
Since starting the fundraiser, Puddleford has raised over $11,000.
Residents who want to visit the farm at 22896 Scane Road don't need to book a time -- it's all on the honour system.
"We're open from 10 in the morning till 8 o'clock in the evening," said Matthew. "It's just come as you please, and spend as much time as you want, there's no limits."
"We ask $5 per vehicle and then $1 per cut stem," added Whitney. "We have clippers here, and you can go into the field and cut as many flowers as you want. We do have a fee for professional photographers; we asked them for $35 an hour since this is a fundraiser."
The sunflower field opened on Wednesday, June 2, and the blooms last for around two weeks. You can follow their Facebook page for updates on the sunflowers at https://www.facebook.com/puddlefordtreefarm.