Each September, visitors flock to enjoy the 4ha of daffodils and woodland walks at the former Hart’s Black Horse Brewery in Lawrence’s Wetherstons Gully, but officials say they may be unable to open to the public this year.
Daffodil Trust treasurer Quentin Currall said due to the unavoidable departure of key trustees, the group was in need of further volunteers to avoid disappointment for all those who enjoyed a spring pilgrimage to Lawrence.
"Unfortunately we’re losing Mel Foster to another city. Mel has been such a stalwart of so many local organisations for so long, she’ll be hard to replace.
"But we know how important the daffodils are to so many people, locals and visitors alike, so we’re casting our appeal wide to bring people in who may be able to help, in whatever small or bigger way."
Mr Currall said, due to the multi-faceted nature of the site, there were many ways in which people could help.
"We have historic buildings, trails, the daffodils, then promotional tasks like advertising and social media, and visitor welcoming tasks.
"It’s one of those things where many hands make light work — the more the merrier."
He said as little as an hour a week could make the difference to the trust, the majority of the work taking place in the four weeks from mid-September to mid-October.
"We just hope people are enthusiastic enough about this unique attraction to do their bit to help."
He said closing the site down this season would be a double blow, as visitor numbers had been steadily increasing during recent years.
"We’re getting upwards of a thousand visitors a season nowadays, from right across the South.
"Incredibly, among them are still those who have never visited before, and who are, like most, captivated by what they see."
By the time of its 1920s heyday, the wooded dell and neighbouring paddocks contained more than two million bulbs of 50 varieties, some of them specially imported from the Netherlands.
From 1912, local children would pick the blooms to be sold for charitable causes such as Plunket, launching the tradition of Daffodil Day.
The site is also believed to contain one of the country’s largest collections of Veronica species.
