A perennially popular open garden event is going virtual for the first time ever.

St Clare Hospice’s annual open garden event this summer will be held online as the charity adapts to ensure its vital fundraising initiatives can continue amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The Virtual Open Gardens will allow lovers of fauna and flora to explore some of the best-kept green spaces in the Hospice’s catchment area via video walk-through tours on their website.

Event organiser Dan Bailey said: “Our Open Gardens event has been a staple of the St Clare summer fundraising events calendar for 25 years, and so despite the unprecedented impact of the coronavirus outbreak, we knew we had to find a way to keep the event running.

“We are delighted that our local open garden supporters, some of whom have been opening their gardens for us every summer for many years, have been ready and raring to embrace the technology needed this year – to make sure the event still goes ahead. They understand that this summer, more than ever, we need the support of local people to ensure we can keep caring for patients on the front line – every donation really does make a difference.”

The Virtual Open Gardens experience will launch on the Hospice’s website on Saturday, July 11 and supporters will be able to view the gardens until the end of August.

The fundraising event has taken since 1994 and this year was targeted to raise £10,000 – enough to fund the entire patient and family Support team of counsellors, social workers and a chaplain for over a week.

The charity is asking participants to make a donation to the hospice in return for their virtual experience.

Mr Bailey added: “This year, more than ever, we can all appreciate the benefits that spending time enjoying the natural world can bring to our mental wellbeing. That’s why we wanted to bring the beauty of local greenery straight to your screens – signed, sealed and delivered.

“If you have been getting more green-fingered than ever during the lockdown, and have a garden to be truly proud of, we would love to hear from you. It doesn’t matter if you have a small cottage garden, or a big, beautiful backyard – we are looking for gardens of all shapes and sizes to show off, and help us raise vital funds!”

If you want to find out more about taking part in this year’s Virtual Open Gardens event, visit the Hospice website at stclarehospice.org.uk/open-gardens or email community fundraiser, Dan Bailey, on dan.bailey@stclarehospice.org.uk

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