09 Feb Garden Openings 2022
As with previous years Lord Margadale is kindly opening his wonderful gardens to the public three times in 2022. Once in aid of the National Garden Scheme, once for a local charity and once for a national charity.
The first opening is for the National Garden Scheme on Sunday 20th March between 12pm and 5pm. Tickets can be bought online via the NGS website or at the door on the day.
I’m sure many of you will be already aware that the National Garden Scheme raises impressive amounts of money for some of the UK’s best-loved nursing and health charities through admissions, teas and cake. Thanks to garden owners, volunteers and visitors they have donated more than £63 million to their beneficiary charities, and in 2021 made donations of over £3 million. Founded in 1927 to support district nurses, they are now the most significant charitable funder of nursing in the UK and their beneficiaries include Macmillan Cancer Support, Marie Curie, Hospice UK and The Queen’s Nursing Institute.
The National Garden Scheme doesn’t just open beautiful gardens for charity – they are passionate about the physical and mental health benefits of gardens too. They fund projects which promote gardens and gardening as therapy, and in 2017 launched their annual Gardens and Health Week to raise awareness of the topic. Their funding also supports the training of gardeners and offers respite to horticultural workers who have fallen on difficult times. So if you want to see the garden in all its spring array of glorious primroses and daffodils do please come to support the NGS.
The local charity Lord Margadale has chosen this year for the garden opening on Sunday 8th May is ‘Save Beckford’s Tower’, the Georgian folly built between 1826 – 1827 and overlooks Bath. It was built for the eccentric William Beckford, the profligate art collector, sometime politician and gothic novelist. It was once home to one of the greatest collections of books, furniture and art in Georgian England and now stands as the only surviving example of Beckford’s great architectural achievements. You’ll find further details over the next few months’ Newsletters about where the money will specifically be going within this fund raising project.
Finally, the national charity the gardens will be opening in aid of on Sunday 12th June is a called MyTime Young Carers whose mission is to not only raise awareness that there are an estimated 700,00 young carers aged 18 and under (even as young as 5yrs old) in the UK looking after a family member with an illness, disability, mental health condition or drug/alcohol problem but to provide them with the support, friendship and opportunity that every child deserves. More details to follow over the next few editions of this Newsletter.