The National Garden Scheme has proudly announced record donations to their beneficiaries of £3 million. All of this came from the amazing total of more than £3.6 million raised by the garden openings in 2016.

Below are full details of how the donations were distributed. This record year would not have been possible without all the hard work, generosity and dedication of our loyal garden owners, along with the volunteers, who tirelessly work in the background, and last but by no means least, the enormous support of the visiting public.

The donations were distributed as below:

• Macmillan Cancer Support, £500,000

• Marie Curie, £500,000

• Hospice UK, £500,000

• Carers’ Trust, £400,000

• Queen’s Nursing Institute, £375,000

• Parkinson’s UK, £150,000

• Perennial, £130,000

• MS Society (Guest Charity), £130,000

• National Autistic Society (Gardens and Health), £130,000

• ABF The Soldiers’ Charity, £80,000

• Work and Retrain as a Gardener Scheme (WRAGS), £60,000

• National Botanic Garden of Wales trainee, £20,000

• Professional Gardeners’ Trust, £10,000

• Garden Museum trainee, £10,000.

In 2017, The National Garden Scheme celebrates ninety years of opening

private gardens in England and Wales. Since 1927, The National Garden Scheme has been inviting garden owners to open their exceptional gardens to the public for good causes, giving visitors unique access to some of the country’s most beautiful, memorable gardens, for less than a cup of tea and a slice of cake! To support the

fantastic work of this charity, the open gardens can be found in The Garden Visitor’s Handbook 2017 (The Yellow Book), the essential guide to all the wonderful 3,700-plus remarkable private gardens opening for the National Garden Scheme, or for gardens nearby, booklets are available locally.

Further details can be found at: www.ngs.org.uk or by contacting Judith

Stanford on: 01761 233045 or email: [email protected] J. Stanford