Open Gardens March<strong>in</strong>gton Sat 17th & Sun 18th <strong>June</strong> At least 12 beautiful gardens to view. Scarecrows, Craft Fair, V<strong>in</strong>tage vehicles, music, photography exhibition, refreshments and RAF fly past of the marvellous Hurricane! Free park<strong>in</strong>g and Shuttle Bus. Location: March<strong>in</strong>gton, ST14 8LJ. Time: 11am - 5pm Price: £5 (buy from community shop or gardens). Visit www.march<strong>in</strong>gtonfestival.co.uk for more. Fradley Sat 24th & Sun 25th <strong>June</strong> Spend an enjoyable weekend look<strong>in</strong>g at the collection of gardens, some large, some small, all with their own <strong>in</strong>terest<strong>in</strong>g and unique theme. There are two refreshment areas each day where you can purchase dr<strong>in</strong>ks and cakes. The church will be open early on Saturday at 12 noon and serv<strong>in</strong>g Ploughman’s Lunches till 2pm and homemade cakes until 5pm. Sorry no dogs except assistance dogs. Location: Fradley village Time: 1pm-5pm Price: £5 per adult, accompanied children free. Programmes available from car park opposite church or participat<strong>in</strong>g gardens. Grafton Cottage, Barton under Needwood Sun 2nd, 26th, 30th July & 6th August Fri 7th July Designed by the gardeners to create a picturesque cottage garden. Old fashioned roses climb over trellis, whilst arches are laden with clematis. Hollyhocks adorn the front of the cottage, and there are a wide range of salvias, dahlias and perennials. Colour themed borders are scented to be <strong>in</strong>sect friendly, plus there is an amphitheatre, stream, parterre and much more. The garden has attracted visitors for over 30 years hav<strong>in</strong>g been on BBC Gardener’s World and <strong>in</strong> many garden magaz<strong>in</strong>es. Homemade cream teas and cottage garden plants for sale. Location: Grafton Cottage, Barr Lane, Barton under Needwood, DE13 8AL. Price: £5 per person, accompanied children free (share of proceeds to Alzheimer’s Research UK). Goldstone Hall, Market Drayton Every Mon to Thurs until 26th October Set <strong>in</strong> 5-acres, Goldstone Hall Gardens are mature and <strong>in</strong>trigu<strong>in</strong>gly designed, <strong>in</strong>clud<strong>in</strong>g formal and <strong>in</strong>formal plant<strong>in</strong>g, encapsulat<strong>in</strong>g the essence of a qu<strong>in</strong>tessential English garden. Location: Goldstone Hall, Goldstone, Market Drayton, Shropshire, TF9 2NA. Time: 10am-5pm. Price: £7.50, children free of charge. Visit www.goldstonehallhotel.co.uk for more. Cannock Wood and Gentleshaw Sat 8th & Sun 9th July 13 gardens, a very varied mix of sizes and styles to enjoy with refreshments available. Several have wonderful views and some are partially accessible for wheelchair users. Free park<strong>in</strong>g at village hall. Location: Village Hall, Buds Road, WS15 4NB. Time: 11am - 5pm Price: Entry by programme (£5 for each adult), available from the Village Hall. Visit www.cwggc.co.uk/events for more <strong>in</strong>formation. Whitt<strong>in</strong>gton Sat 24th & Sun 25th <strong>June</strong> Eleven colourful and very varied gardens and a number of other horticultural spaces will be open to visitors. Refreshments available <strong>in</strong> some gardens, at St Giles Hospice and <strong>in</strong> the village pubs and the brand-new Ma<strong>in</strong> Street Café. Tickets are available from the car park and Café and cover entry to all the gardens. Location: Baxters Farm, Back Lane, WS14 9NL (park<strong>in</strong>g available). Time: 11am - 4pm. Tours of St Giles Hospice Garden at 12 noon and 2pm. Price: £5 (under 16s free) Got a story or charity event you want to share with our readership? Th<strong>in</strong>k you’ve snapped an image that captures the spirit of the region? We want to hear from you! Contact <strong>Citylife</strong> at kristencitylife@gmail.com 16
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