Why I open my garden for Martlets

Gill has been opening her garden for Martlets as part of Open Gardens for eight years. Here’s why she does it and why she’d recommend you take part.

We’ve been opening our garden for Martlets for eight years and we love doing it. Gardening is our passion and we so enjoy sharing the garden with our friends, family and neighbours.

How we fundraise

Having opened our garden for so many years, I think we have learned how to raise the most money for Martlets. We set ourselves the challenge to try and beat our previous takings each year!

We grow plants from cuttings of our own plants and sell both garden and house plants. These are really popular and sell well each year.

I always make too much cake! We sell whole cakes and slices of cake which people can eat in the garden or take home. The most popular offering is our strawberry cream tea.

We collect paperback books throughout the year to sell on the day. And a raffle or draw is also a good money spinner, as long as you have a nice prize like a voucher for dinner or cream tea.

Setting up the event

We arrange table and chairs around the garden so people have somewhere to sit and enjoy their tea.

With the help and support of our family and friends plus some sunshine (!) we always have a good time opening our garden.

We get amazing support from people who return year after year. But we do also canvas the local area for new visitors!

Its such a joy to take part in Open Gardens and we get great support from the team at Martlets. If anyone is thinking of doing it, I would heartily recommend it!

To learn more about Open Gardens and how you can take part please visit martlets.org.uk/open-gardens or contact us at fundraising@martlets.org.uk