Garden Walkabout raises £7k+ for Alverstoke Parish Centre fund

Nearly 600 people were to be seen walking around Alverstoke and wandering into other people’s gardens over the weekend of July 2nd and 3rd, but it was all in a good cause.

The Alverstoke Garden Walkabout raised more than £7,000 for the parish centre regeneration fund including £800 spent on plants and cuttings and teas in the gardens, and £600 from the sale of teas and cakes in the Parish Centre, while the Pimms tent generated £500.

The Mayor of Gosport Councillor Jamie Hutchison did the honours of opening the event which offered the opportunity to view 14 gardens ranging from those backing onto a tidal creek to others with palms and exotic plants, wildlife ponds, model railways in action, greenhouses, and garden art.

Organisers Gaye Spencer and Annushka Donin said they had, “great fun with all the helpers at the Parish Centre, our hard-working gardeners and in the Pimms Tent.”

And they thanked, “all the wonderful people who opened their gardens, the team at the Parish Centre itself, Village Hardware, Queens Parade News, and the Tourist Information Office for selling so many tickets and being so encouraging.

“Thanks also go to the generosity of A&S Motors who again donated money to pay for the printing of the programmes.”

More money than last year for regeneration fund

Rector Andy Norris added his thanks and noted that the £7,000 raised was, “even better than last year’s total of £6,625.”

For 7 years, a committee of volunteers has been planning the replacement of the current 50-year-old parish centre which is deemed to be beyond economic repair.

Planning permission has been obtained for a new parish centre on the same site in Green Road, opposite St Mary’s Church. It is estimated that the cost of the project will be in the region of £2 million. So far, the build fund stands at more than £300,000 and bids for major grants are underway.

Photograph (top): Gosport Mayor Jamie Hutchison talking to garden lovers at the opening of the event. Alverstoke Garden Walkabout, reproduced with permission.