12 June 2023

De Beauvoir Town’s horticultural talents raise charity funds

Members of the De Beauvoir Gardeners Club welcomed hundreds of visitors to view their beautiful gardens as part of the annual National Garden Scheme – raising an impressive £2,500 for charity.

The event, held on May 28, was part of the nationwide Open Gardens Scheme which gives visitors access to more than 3,500 gardens in support of good causes in the nursing and health sectors.

As well as the array of plants, shrubs and quiet outdoor spaces on show, the De Beauvoir gardeners also offered places to local artists to display and sell their works. And as no garden visit would be complete with something to eat and drink, cakes were on sale too.

De Beauvoir Gardeners committee member, Cec Darker, one of the organisers, said the event was a tremendous success, helped by the sunny weather.  “We actually ran out of cake as we had so many visitors,” she said.  “People were terribly grateful and complimentary – and I heard so many nice comments about the other gardens too.”

Another keen gardener who welcomed more than 200 visitors to her garden, said there was particular interest in the swift boxes which some gardeners have put up to provide the endangered birds with nesting spaces.

Lynn Brooks said she and her husband, John talked “non-stop” to the visitors and ended the day with a supper for those who had helped stage the event.  “We were all shattered as we started work at 6am to make sure everything was ready on time,” she said.

Among the artists displaying their work in one of the gardens was Caroline Griffiths, who started painting pictures of British native wildlife during the Covid lockdown, putting the work on her windows and attracting admiration from passers-by. Caroline has lived in De Beauvoir since 1986 and her work aims to reflect her love of the area. She studied Fine Art at City Lit London and finds inspiration in the natural world, from remote destinations to the nearby the Regents Canal.

The four gardens that opened were on Mortimer Road, Lawford Road, Ufton Grove and Downham Road.

The National Gardens Scheme started in the late 1820s, initially charging a shilling a head for entry and raising £8,000 in the first year. Over the years the event has raised a total of £63 million for charities including Macmillan Cancer Support, Marie Curie and the Queen’s Nursing Institute.

If you’d like to get involved with next year’s Open Garden Scheme, find out more here or get in touch with De Beauvoir Gardeners.

A few highlights of the gardens:

 ©  In Photos: Cec and Jules's garden, Lynn and John Brooks's garden and Stephen and Jane King's garden.