Hospiscare is inviting people to support end-of-life care in their community by taking a garden tour this year.
From 2 April, gardeners across the heart of Devon will open their gates and invite members of the community to enjoy the beautiful flora and fauna for a donation to Hospiscare.
As the hospice charity for Exeter, Mid and East Devon, we care for over 2,000 patients and their families every year and rely on the support of our community to provide this care at no cost to our patients.
All of the gardens opening for 2021 will adhere to the latest government guidance on COVID-19 relative to their time of opening. All visitors will be asked to adhere to social distancing measures and entrants will be limited to 30 people at any one time.
Many of the gardens will offer take away hot drinks and cakes to enjoy and Woodside garden in Bampton, open every Friday from 2 April to 24 September, will even have a printed guide and garden quiz for visitors to enjoy. Annie Freeman, the owner and gardener at Woodside says, “We do hope that this will offer something a little different to anyone wanting a ‘change of scenery’ and somewhere new to sit and relax.
“I am supporting Hospiscare as by helping the individual, you help the whole family and by helping each family, you help the whole community and so the quality of life is improved for everybody and a little good goes a long way.”
Anita and Patrick Beasley from Topsham have opened their garden for Hospiscare for several years and Anita explains, “Patrick and I are very happy to support the Open Garden campaign because we think Hospiscare does such wonderful work, and also because we are nosy about other people’s gardens! We love the opportunity to visit different gardens and gather new ideas for our own.”
Over 40 gardens will open this year, with the full selection available to view by checking our Open Gardens page from April. Our Open Gardens booklet will also be available after Easter from your local garden centre or tourist information centre. Booklets are also available to order by calling 01392 688020.
The popular annual Hospiscare plant sale will be held online again this year. Keep an eye on the Hospsicare website from 17 May for further details.
Hospiscare’s Open Gardens could not take place without the kind sponsorship of Otter Nurseries who are supporting the campaign this year.
