For the third year running, Buxton’s green fingered residents will be showing off their gardens as part of the Buxton Garden Trail – and this year the organisers have a new sponsor on board -local employer Tarmac.
The event was launched in 2016 and has gone from strength to strength with the number of gardens included increasing each time. In 2017 over 600 visitors took part, enjoying over 30 gardens. The gardens vary from very small to landscaped two-acre planted areas, with a range of styles including Japanese, Bonsai based; family friendly; wildlife; woodland; community; cottage and traditional English. The gardeners will be available to offer hints and tips on their areas of specialism.
The event sees local people open up their gardens to visitors over two days in June (this year 9 and 10 June): visitors buy maps to find their way around the area and visit as many beautiful gardens as possible. The sale of the maps generates funds for local charities, Blythe House, Dementia Care and the Befriending Service in the Peaks.
Tarmac has joined forces with organisers, local couple Jo and David Holdway and the newly formed Buxton Garden Trail Community Group, to sponsor the event for the next three years. Tarmac’s donation will cover the printing costs for posters, flyers and maps, enabling the organisers to offset costs and generate more funds for charity.
Jo Holdway comments: “We welcome visitors to Buxton as a garden destination, to show planting at its best, despite the enormous problems of growing at high altitude and with difficult weather. We want to show Buxton as a centre of garden excellence, and thanks to the support of Tarmac, we can also make a significant donation to charity at the same time.”
Pete Butterworth, Tarmac’s General Manager, Stone and Powders adds: “This event is a highlight on the local calendar both for Buxton people and tourists visiting this area. We are pleased to be able to support such a popular event which showcases the impressive gardening skills of locals. We are also delighted that our sponsorship will make a big difference to the amount the organisers are able to donate to three very good local charities. Members of the Tarmac team will be visiting the gardens and we look forward to hearing what a great success the Trail is again this year.”
To find out more about the Garden Trail – if you are interested in putting your garden forward or simply want to visit – please contact [email protected] or call Jo and David on 0796 800 4543. Maps will be available from the Tourist Information Centre, Green Man Gallery and Poole’s Cavern from May 22nd.
Picture captions: Left to right – David Holdway and Jo Holdway of the Buxton Garden Trail Community Committee; Pete Butterworth and Linda Grooby of Tarmac – celebrating the launch of their partnership for this year’s Buxton Garden Trails.