Thanks to Brightlingsea’s gardeners and online visitors, our Virtual Open Gardens event raised an amazing £1,009.96p for St Helena Hospice!

With the pandemic putting paid to the Brightlingsea Hospice Support Group’s live Open Gardens, our virtual event proved to be a great way of allowing gardeners to show off their lovingly-tended lockdown gardens while raising desperately needed funds for the Colchester-based hospice.

Fifty-two gardeners took part, and the pages showing their gardens have been viewed thousands of times. If you’re looking for inspiration, you’ll be able to view all the gardens on Brightlingsea Info whenever you like. Hopefully next year we’ll be able to look round the gardens for real!

Thanks all the gardeners who took part – and very special thanks to everyone who donated, and to our sponsors, Lucas Estate Agents and Optimum Independent Financial Advisers. Large or small, your generous gifts are greatly appreciated and vital at a time when traditional fundraising activities have been curtailed. If you’ve not yet donated, you can do so here.

• Our inset picture was sent in by Janet Russell, who has traditionally decorated the hedge outside Jacob’s Court for Open Gardens – and did so again this weekend.