Beautiful gardens needed for fundraiser
Calling all keen gardeners! Green-fingered enthusiasts in and around Exeter are being sought by WESC Foundation, specialist centre for visual impairment, to take part in an exciting new fundraiser this month. The inaugural WESC Foundation Sensory Open Gardens event is looking for people with beautiful, interesting or unique gardens to sign up and open their garden gates to friends, family and their local community in an effort to raise vital funds to help children and learners of little or no sight.
Funds raised will go towards updating WESC Foundation’s own sensory garden, which is in need of some extra care and attention, as well as other open spaces around the WESC Foundation campus, to create inspirational outdoor classrooms in which to engage the children in their learning.
Expert advice is on hand in the form of local garden designer, Rebecca Wells, who will be providing helpful tips and planting suggestions of how participants can enhance the enjoyment of everyone who has a garden and especially those who may have visual impairment, but who still love the freedom and beauty that a garden can bring. Rebecca will also be providing an added incentive to participants by offering a free site garden consultation for the garden which raises the most money through the event.
Tammy Falloon from St Bridget Nurseries, which is the main sponsor of the event, says, “We were delighted to get involved in this charity fundraiser. We already have strong links with WESC Foundation and are glad to strengthen these. Sensory gardens are so easy to create and leave a long-lasting impression on everyone.”
“Often the most beautiful time to enjoy a garden is in the early evening; twilight casting a magical element to the occasion and that is the time the senses of smell can be enriched, especially if the garden enjoys a host of scented plants.”
WESC Foundation’s fundraising manager, Jon Duckham, says: “Many gardens in Exeter are of a more compact variety, but don’t let that put you off – Open Garden visitors are not purely attracted by the extent of a garden. People are looking for interesting planning and design, a good range of plants and gardens that have been tended with love and care, and equally vital, a really good cup of tea or a glass of wine to savour while you enjoy the flora and fauna.”
If you think your garden fits the bill and you would like to participate in WESC Foundation’s inaugural Open Gardens, please contact Jon Duckham on jduckham@wescfoundation.org.uk. You will then be sent a welcome pack with tips from Becky Wells to help you get started with planning your Open Garden Event.
