A musician from Morecambe who helped co-design the Eden Project’s Chelsea Flower Show display has performed an emotional song about her home town while standing in the garden she helped create.
Chloe Jane Hirst, 23, sang in the ‘Bring Me Sunshine’ garden which offers the first public glimpse of Eden Project Morecambe - the landmark £100m regeneration project set to open in 2028.
Inspired by the landscapes, heritage and communities of Morecambe Bay, the garden was designed by Harry Holding and Alex Michaelis and will be relocated to Morecambe to form a vibrant community garden 30 times its size.
The garden was co-designed with young adults from Morecambe, including Chloe and others currently not in education or employment, and celebrates creativity and opportunity, whilst promoting pathways into green careers.
At the heart of Chloe’s performance on Thursday evening, was a song she chose to write herself titled 'Tribute to a Ghost Town' - a deeply personal reflection on Morecambe, her childhood and the changes she sees happening around her town.
One of the song’s key lyrics suggests a new horizon for the seaside town as it says: “This ghost town will be gone, this chapter of the book will be done.”
Chloe says the song came from a need to mark the importance of Morecambe’s present – from a place of both grief and optimism - mourning the Morecambe she grew up with, while recognising the opportunities and new chapter that Eden Project Morecambe could bring.
“Morecambe matters to me," said Chloe.
"It’s where I learnt to use a knife and fork. It’s where I first fell off my bicycle. It’s where I started singing.
“This ghost town is my roots, and they are firmly planted - something I share with so many local people.
“This song came from a place of mourning because my childhood home, as I’ve always known it, is changing. Like the waves washing away footsteps on the beach, Eden Project Morecambe represents a new chapter.
“A chapter characterised by fresh opportunities and adventure.”
Chloe performed three original songs inspired by nature, identity and Morecambe’s cultural heritage including ‘Mr Morecambe’, a tribute to Eric Morecambe who grew up opposite Chloe’s childhood home, and which features the lyrics: “Mr Morecambe, bring me sunshine, put on a show and all will be fine.”
Jordan Baker, Chloe Jane Hirst and Amy Hodgson - all young people from the local area who helped design the Bring Me Sunshine Garden
The Eden Project Bring Me Sunshine Garden has become one of the standout attractions at this year’s show, winning a prestigious Silver-Gilt medal and the RHS Environmental Innovation Award, and was also up for the People's Choice Award.
“This is exactly what Eden Project Morecambe is all about - giving young people a platform, a voice and belief in the future of their town," said Andy Jasper, CEO of the Eden Project.
“The honesty and emotion in Chloe’s songs have moved a lot of people. They capture both the challenges Morecambe has faced and the hope and optimism people feel about what comes next.
“Seeing a young person from Morecambe perform her own music on a garden she helped design, at the world’s most famous flower show, will be incredibly powerful.”
The garden was made possible thanks to match-funding from grant-making charity Project Giving Back.
It will live on permanently in the seaside town as the gateway to Eden Project Morecambe when it opens.
Work is due to start next month at the central Promenade site in Morecambe, with the 'Bring Me Sunshine' Garden - named with a nod to the signature song of the town's favourite son, Eric Morecambe - to be the first aspect of the new attraction to be created.
The Eden Project is an education charity that inspires wonder, hope and positive action for the planet by reconnecting people with the natural world.
The charity’s work is being celebrated this year through the 25th anniversary of the Eden Project in Cornwall.
Eden Project Morecambe is a £100m scheme being delivered in partnership with Lancaster City Council, Lancashire County Council and Lancaster University, and is funded by the UK Government.
It is designed to complement and celebrate the heritage of the Promenade, including its iconic neighbouring landmarks – the Midland Hotel and the Grade II* listed Winter Gardens.
A design image of the Eden Project Morecambe
Eden Project says the scheme will extend its charity mission – to reconnect people with natural world and support community, education and nature‑recovery programmes.
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