Open your garden for Macmillan Cancer Support in 2019

It might only be February, but now is the time to consider your gardening plans for the summer.

2019 sees the eighth annual Macmillan Coastal Garden Trail take place along the coast between Brighton and Seaford.

Last summer, over twenty private garden owners took the leap of faith and opened their gates to visitors. Organisers have already signed up ten gardens this year.

The net result of their efforts meant that trail organiser, Geoff Stonebanks, was able to hand over £12,500 to Macmillan Cancer Support last autumn. All this money went directly to the Macmillan Horizon Centre in Brighton, which celebrated its second birthday last November.

Figures published by Macmillan showed a 26% increase on numbers of cancer sufferers supported by the centre in its second year. This support covered a wide range of subjects, complementary therapies, counselling and psychological therapies, helping with welfare benefits to name just a few.

Think how you could help support this amazing charity by agreeing to open your garden in 2019. You don’t need an immaculate or pristine plot. You just need to be an enthusiastic gardener, happy to talk about your garden to visitors and if you fancy serving tea and cakes that’s a real bonus.

This years’ trail takes place on the weekend of July 27 and 28 between the hours of 11am and 5pm on both days.

The trail’s patron, TV Gardener, Christine Walkden will be in Sussex to officially open the event on July 27 at 11am. She will visit Geoff’s garden, Driftwood where she will cut the ribbon!

There are currently ten gardens scheduled to open, four of them totally brand new for 2019. All now listed on the web site.

Geoff Stonebanks’ garden, Driftwood has appeared on BBC2 Gardeners’ World, was a finalist in Gardeners’ World Magazine Best Small Space and a finalist in Lewes District Business Awards 2018 as “The Tourist Destination of the Year”.

If you would like to open your garden for Macmillan Cancer Support in 2019 email Geoff or call him on 01323 899296 to discuss.