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On the left: Dr Anne Edwards with Maisie and a scarecrow friend point the way to the open gardens' event and on the right retired teachers Marion and Chris Watt return to Hethersett Junior School to inspect the new allotment.

One of Hethersett’s most engaging events once again saw hundreds of people wandering round the village on a hot Sunday to view gardens both big and small.

The onus this year in the Hethersett Open Gardens day was on variety with 11 gardens providing light, shade and beauty despite the recent dry spell which has seen many lawns turn to straw.

Of particular interest was an allotment at Hethersett Junior School. Hethersett Junior was the 2,000^th school in England to enrol in the Food for Life Programme and it is currently working towards its bronze award which has included the setting up of the allotment. The programme sets out to help children understand where food comes from, how it grows and how it is cooked and the allotment is just one part of a programme for the youngsters which also includes cooking lessons. The school has also recently built a small pond.

Elsewhere there were large gardens laid to lawn, borders containing flowers and plants of every shape and size and a number of gardens where originality and ingenuity had played a large part including one with a live steam railway.

Each garden was signposted by a traditional brightly coloured scarecrow made by Dr Anne Edwards who had her own wild-life friendly garden open in Queen’s Road.

Proceeds from the sale of programmes and refreshments on the day will be split between Hethersett Jubilee Youth Club and Hethersett and District Aid in Sickness Fund.

Gardens open were as follows:

Mr and Mrs Arnall - Haconsfield

Mr and Mrs Saunders - Haconsfield

Mr Morriss - Haconsfield

Hethersett Junior School

Dr Edwards - Queen's Road

Mr Tullett - Henstead Road

Mr and Mrs Bull - Childs Road

Mr and Mrs Pierce - Malthouse Road

Mr and Mrs Webb - Malthouse Road

Mr Wenham - Hubbards Loke

Mrs Wyer - Flinthouse Gardens

Open Gardens and Hethersett in Bloom Presentation Evening

Gardens in Hethersett are “absolutely splendid” according to the judges of an annual competition.

Once again keen local gardeners, flower enthusiasts and the Hethersett Environmental Action Team got together, with support from Hethersett Parish Council, to organise and take part in the annual Hethersett in Bloom competition and the Hethersett Open Gardens Sunday which took place on Sunday 11th July.

Prizes were presented at Hethersett Village Hall by this year’s judges John and Judy Wilson whose own garden at Chestnut Farm, West Beckham, will be open for charity on three Sundays in August.

“The gardens we saw were absolutely splendid and gardens in Hethersett are first class and of a very high standard and seem to have been largely unaffected by the very dry summer. It has been a real privilege to judge them” Mr and Mrs Wilson said.

Garden of the year award went to Mr Oakley of Exmouth Close for his tropical garden with Mrs Eden second and Mr John Freeman third. The judges also singled out Haconsfield for its imaginative garden designs “It was unusual to see very open planned gardens giving a broader and more expansive view. – the kind of thing you would expect to see in America rather than England,” they said.

The trade section also brought praise from the judges with first place in the containers and hanging baskets section going to Hethersett King’s Head.

Full results were: Trade Entries – Containers, 1 King’s Head, 2 Ivan Fisher Funeral Home, 3 Thickthorn Park and Ride; Hanging Baskets, 1 King’s Head, 2 Comfort Zone, 3 Queen’s Head.

Private Entries – Patios, 1 Mr Freeman Mill Road, 2 Mrs Woods Buckingham Drive. Hanging Baskets 1^st equal Mrs Daniels Henstead Road and Mrs Woods Buckingham Drive. Containers 1 Mr and Mrs Daniels Henstead Road, 2 Mr and Mrs Arnall Haconsfield, 3 Mr Freeman Mill Road. Best Garden – 1 Mr Oakley Exmouth Close, 2 Mrs Eden, 3 Mr Freeman Mill Road.

Before the presentation there was a slide show of Hethersett in Bloom and the Open Gardens event by chair of HEAT Dr Anne Edwards.

The various events under the schemes also raise funds for local charities and organisations and this year chair of Hethersett Parish Council and leading environmentalist Fred Watkins presented cheques for £400 to Hethersett Jubilee Youth Club and Hethersett and District Aid in Sickness Fund. An additional £100 has been given to HEAT to help with its environmental work around the village. There were also certificates for local Guides who had helped with the organisation of the Open Gardens scheme and providing refreshments.

Mr and Mrs Wilson’s own garden will be open on Sunday 8^th and 22^nd August under the National Gardens charity scheme and on 15^th August in aid of the Big C Cancer charity. The gardens will be open from 11 a.m until 5 p.m.