Wealden Times | WT165 | November 2015 | Gift supplement inside

The upstairs of the house is a testament to the owner’s knack for making and creating; the bedroom features a hand-embroidered headboard, armchair and
window pelmet while outside on the landing is a cosy work area. Above right: a metal trunk acts as a table, topped by a driftwood tree by Martin Pammant
as if Francine had little trouble settling in and making
friends: “There’s lots going on here, and lots of different
sorts of people. I have friends of all different ages.
“Because of my old business [in Suffolk] I knew
hundreds of people, a person in each village. When
you’re the new girl, it can knock your confidence. But,
writing my column for the Sunday Telegraph has got
me out, meeting people. Each time you write about a
garden, it’s a different world, with different people.”
She’s a great proponent of community gardens,
and speaks warmly of the Stream Walk Community
Garden, as well as the Friends of the Westbrook stream
in Faversham. “These days many people can’t afford a
house with a large garden. Community gardens are the
way it’s going, and it’s a great way to make friends.”
The NGS is also something Francine is involved
in, and which she hopes to extend in Whitstable.
“We have seven gardens already, and we are hoping
to attract people with smaller gardens, who can be
involved in a more informal way – marking their
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