A beautiful garden supporting Chester Samaritans

A huge thank you to our wonderful volunteers, and especially to Colin and Martin, for making this year's Open Garden Days on 25–26 July such a memorable event.

After months of planning, planting, pruning and preparation, Colin and Martin opened the gates to their beautiful garden, welcoming more than 400 visitors across the weekend. Their passion, generosity and hard work created a truly special event that brought people together while raising money for fantastic causes.

We're also incredibly grateful to the Chester Samaritans volunteers who gave up their time to help. From baking delicious cakes and serving refreshments to welcoming visitors, selling raffle tickets and helping everything run smoothly, every contribution played a part in the weekend's success.

Together, we raised an amazing £1,800 for the National Garden Scheme, whose proceeds support hospice charities and other nursing and health charities across the UK, as well as an incredible £2,312 for Chester Samaritans through teas and cakes, the raffle, and the sale of homemade jam and honey.

Most importantly, the weekend was filled with smiles, conversation, community spirit and the chance to showcase not only a beautiful garden, but also the work of the Samaritans and the difference that volunteers make every day.

Thank you to everyone who visited, donated, volunteered and supported the event in any way. We hope you enjoy these photos from a wonderful weekend, and a very special thank you once again to Colin and Martin for opening both their garden and their hearts to our community. 💚