Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance is excited to announce the return of its ‘open gardens’ initiative this year.
Running all year round, there will be a spring/summer theme taking place from April to September and an autumn/winter theme taking place from October to March.
The open gardens initiative aims to bring local communities across Dorset and Somerset together, to celebrate the wonderful gardens spread across both counties, while raising awareness and funds for Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance.
No matter the size of the garden or whether they are pristine or wild, the charity is inviting everyone to get involved and to spend time outdoors, as a great way to promote health and well-being within their local community.
Whether people decide to open their garden to members of the public to have a look and a walk around, or plan to hold an afternoon event with a cream tea or a barbecue alongside, the initiative provides a fantastic opportunity for people to hold a special event within their local community in aid of Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance.
Last year, an array of open garden events were held in aid of Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance, raising over £8,570 for the life-saving charity. The air ambulance receives no direct funding from the Government or the National Lottery and relies on the generosity of the public to help raise their operational costs of over £5 million per year.
Community fundraising initiatives like open gardens play a vital role in helping to raise these funds.
Emma Jones, Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance Fundraising Manager said: “We are delighted to be running our open gardens initiative for the second year in a row and would love people to support us by opening their garden to raise funds and awareness for our life-saving service.
“People could host a picnic, serve tea on the lawn or just keep it simple and let people sit or potter at their leisure. If supporters have neighbours that might like to showcase their gardens on the same day, then they could organise a village opening to bring people together and showcase their local community.
“Whatever people decide to do, our team will fully support these generous people by providing all that they need to make their open garden event a ‘blooming’ success!”
To find out more information or to sign up, please visit: www.dsairambulance.org.uk/open-gardens.
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