Between 1pm and 6pm on Thursday 2nd June 2022, twenty-six households in Kemble and Ewen, and
the plot holders of the Kemble Community Gardens, volunteered to open their gardens to the
parishioners to celebrate Queen Elizabeth’s Jubilee. There was a good range of garden sizes, styles
and gardening philosophies. It gave people a chance to see how other people manage both flower
and vegetable growing and hopefully provide them with good ideas for their own gardens.
The great success of the Open Gardens Event is down to Lucinda Turner, Charlotte Barr and Jill
Kingston who came to the KEPC on 1st October 2021 to ask for support to put on this event. It was
they who promoted and encouraged residents to take part. It was Charlotte and Nicky Barrow who
created the excellent map/guide for the day. The organisers visited the gardens before the day and
helped the owners to complete the risk assessments on the yellow notices at the entrance to every
garden.
The plant sale at Kemble House raised £200 for church funds. Thank you to Lucinda and her
husband for hosting the gathering of garden owners on the Wednesday evening before the day. Thank
you to Pat Ayres for the terrific display of royal memorabilia which reminded us of what the
celebration was about. Thank you to the Parish Council for giving the grant for the printing of posters,
maps and notices.
Finally, thank you to all the gardeners who in some cases overcame anxieties about allowing people
to see their gardens, and despite what else may have been happening still let us in, and who worked
so hard to make them look so good.
There was an excellent response from the villagers with many people taking time to wander around a
selection of gardens during this sunny afternoon. It was lovely to hear various snippets of information
about the owners’ houses and gardens, as well as just enjoying the sheer beauty of such an array of
planting. Thank you to the owners for being so welcoming and friendly.
It was a marvellous Community Event that, for the participants, was so easy to join in. Our communal
sense of enjoyment during the afternoon seemed to reflect the joy that many people have felt in
celebrating the Queen’s amazing years of service.
Thank you to the garden openers for their complimentary and enthusiastic feedback!
If anyone else would like to make a comment or a suggestion about the event would they please
email Charlotte at charlotte.barr@me.com