Open gardens raise over £6,000

Posted on June 27, 2007

A tour around the gardens of Eaton Bray and Edlesborough raised more than £4,000 thanks to the green fingers of villagers and the blessing of Mother Nature.

The rain kept off during the weekend as the area held its second annual open gardens day - and it proved a runaway success raising £1,400 for repairs to St Mary's Church, Eaton Bray, and another £2,800 for the Chilterns MS Centre.

The parish church has adopted the MS centre as its main charity fund-raising project this year and church members will be hoping to raise more money later in the year.

The gardens on show ranged from a tiny, beautifully-tended plot to rampant, semi-wild areas and even one with a medieval moat.

Hundreds of visitors toured the gardens and returned, inspired to the Memorial Hall, Edlesborough, to buy plants and refreshments as well as voting for their favourite garden.

Kevin Yeomans, owner of Garden Scene Garden Centre in The Rye, Eaton Bray, sponsored The People's Choice, voted for by visitors to the open garden event. Every one of the 10 gardens received votes and the winner, with 40% of the votes cast, was June Trott's garden in Moor End.

The event proved such a success that gardeners are already volunteering to open their gardens for next year's event on Sunday June 8.

Source: Leighton Buzzard Observer, 27 June 2007