Eastcombe, Bussage and Brownshill Open Gardens Weekend

PERFECT warm weather this May Bank Holiday helped make this year’s National Gardens Scheme Open Gardens weekend one of our most successful ever.

All our gardeners’ hard work over recent months to make the twelve open gardens look their best - despite the late spring – received many favourable comments.

We counted nearly 600 paying visitors over the two days.

Total proceeds from the weekend amounted to a magnificent £5,380 after expenses.

From this total we have donated £3,192 to the National Gardens Scheme, and £729 each to our three locally-supported charities Hope for Tomorrow, Myeloma UK and Sarcoma UK.

A very welcome contribution to our proceeds came from the sales of homemade cakes and teas at Eastcombe Village Hall and that raised an amazing £1,124, thanks to Olive Turner and her team of helpers from the WI and the Hilltop Gardening Club - and to the many donors of cakes, scones and tray-bakes.

The Westendorps raised a terrific total of £187 at Hawkley Cottage from plant and ice cream sales, where mini-Magnums – 261 of them – sold like… hot cakes!

Mary Brownbill kindly made a donation from her plant stall sales at the Village Hall, as did the Canal Trust team who had set up a very attractive display of hand-made items.

A very popular innovation this year was a minibus shuttle, organised by Glen Beswetherick, which ran a continuous service from the village hall to each end of our garden trail.

The bus ride was much appreciated by those visitors who were not relishing the long steep walk up Fidges Lane in the heat of the afternoon.

Natalie Beswetherick, who led the organising team from the Hilltop Gardening Club, would like to thank everyone who contributed to this year’s event, and most of all, our gardeners.

We are also very grateful to our local event sponsors – Aberlink, Eastcombe Stores, Fourways Dental Surgery, Toadsmoor Garage and When in Rome wines.