There could not have been any complaints about the weather this year.  We had wall-to-wall sunshine from dawn to dusk, and the temperature soared into the eighties.
    A steady stream of visitors began to arrive right on time at 10.30 am and continued through to closing time.  It says something for the resilience and resolve of gardeners that many were showing distinct signs of overheating: puffing and panting and bright red faces were quite noticeable by early afternoon along with frequent sit-downs; but still they continued, determined to see all and everything of the listed gardens.
    It was not forgotten, of course, that this was a charity event, and the various stalls with their wares, and the de rigueur raffle tickets were all very well supported, along with the brisk trade that the ladies in the village hall canteen had serving hot and cold drinks and lunches.
   This year was a ‘pruned’ version of previous years’ events.  Ruth Whitmore and her committee of enthusiasts had decided that previously there had been some gardens that were spread rather too far for some people to complete the circuit by foot; and the many competitions and side-shows ate into the visitors’ limited time.  The decision to compress and condense proved absolutely right.  The visitors that were ‘quizzed’ about the event all said the same: paring down the event gave everyone time to see all the gardens at a leisurely pace.  No more rushed lunches and gulped teas.
   It was also remarked by visitors---many being regular visitors to this event---that the standard of the gardens was of the highest quality.  A rewarding comment for all the hard work of the previous weeks put in by the Foxley gardeners.
   A first count of the proceeds from the Open Day has shown a total after expenses of £1500. 00.  This will be shared by St. Thomas’ Church, Foxley Village Hall and Macmillan Cancer Relief.
     Well done, Foxley!

                                                                                                                               D.B.
 

Thank you Dennis for writing the above article for us, what would we do without your expertise.  Also, I would like to personally thank members of the organising committee for all the hours they put in to making this event a success and, of course, all the residents of Foxley and other villages, who kindly gave up their time to make sure we raised a good sum for such worthy causes. Thank you. 

Ruth Whitmore