In its fourth year, the Buxton Garden Trail is to grow bigger and better with more gardens featured and unusual interesting features added.
In Tarmac’s second year as main sponsor, the Trail will include 38 gardens – an increase on the number that took part in 2018’s event. In addition, there will be a pop-up sculpture park featuring work by local sculptor, Lindsay Piper.
As well as being a key event in the Buxton calendar, the Trail is also a very significant fund-raiser. Last year the sale of Trail maps raised over £3,000 in total – this was split between Blythe House Hospice, Dementia Care, the Befriending Service in the Peaks and the Samaritans. This year the chosen charities – all local again – are the Thomas Theyer Foundation; Helen’s Trust; Grapevine Wellbeing Centre; and the Serpentine Farm.
The gardens taking part 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 the weekend of 8-9 June. Visitors buy maps to find their way around the area and visit as many beautiful gardens as possible, with many garden owners also offering refreshments.
Tarmac’s sponsorship covers the printing costs for posters, flyers and maps, enabling the organisers to offset costs and generate more funds for charity. The company has also made blue metal flowers for each garden host to put up to help trail followers identify the right gardens. These were made in the Tarmac workshops at Tunstead.
Trail organiser Jo Holdway comments: “We are delighted that this year’s event will be even bigger than last year, and we very much hope to achieve a larger fundraising target too. Our aim is to show Buxton as a centre of garden excellence and make a significant donation to charity at the same time.”
Tarmac’s general manager, Stone and Powders, Pete Butterworth adds: “We are pleased to be able to support such a popular event which showcases the impressive gardening skills of local people and supports local good causes at the same time. 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 Poole’s Cavern Visitors’ centre; and Buxton Visitors’ centre within the Pump Room.
Picture caption: Getting ready for the 2019 Buxton Garden Trail – left and far right: Tarmac apprentices Ben Clarke and Sean Ashton (part of the team who made the blue metal flowers to mark out the gardens); and second right, sculptor Lindsay Piper with one of her sculptures which will form part of a new pop-up sculpture park as part of the event.