$9,000 benefit from garden ramble

 

Another successful Mangawhai Plunket-Kindergarten Garden Ramble is the only way to describe it. Local organisers were thrilled with  the turnout and especially the weather. Some entrants weren’t quite so thrilled as weeks of cool winds off-and-on, and odd bursts of cold rain had kept some blooms from showing their best but gardeners are all in the same boat and well understand the vagaries of weather. On this occasion the weekend proved glorious and late ticket sales soared.

Many locals took up the opportunity to explore a variety of 20 different gardens and properties, and again the event attracted people from far and wide: Orewa, Auckland, Kumeu, Dargaville, Kerikeri and even Australia, to name a few. More variety this year saw the introduction of art at some stops and a variety of garden art is becoming quite prevalent these days – from driftwood to rocks, ceramics and metalwork and even animals. If not your choice, certainly interesting just the same.

One larger section, though not everyone’s cup of tea, had made a fabulous job of turning a damp corner into a wetland of considerable beauty. Another sported a miniature golf course on it’s expansive section which was landscaped with rocks, sand and a pleasant garden seat nes-tled into a patch of camomile – fragrant and relaxing.

Most reported visitor numbers from around 170 to over 250, possibly more where refreshments were offered but you can’t ramble all day without a cuppa can you? Thanks go to Joanna and Malcolm Roberts, Sid and Glenda Johnson, and Olga and George Yuretich who hosted refreshment stands.

Monies raised from this event have totalled an amazing $9000 and will be of great benefit to the Mangawhai kin-dergarten and Plunket groups. Michelle, the head teacher at the kindergarten expressed gratitude for the community’s generosity and support. Our local Plunket nurse, Cynthia Keay, also reiterated the importance of this fundraising money in providing Plunket support services to the parents and young children in our community.

The garden ramble committee extend their thanks to all that contributed in some way and especially key sponsor Palmers Planet for their continued support. Also in this category are all the local businesses that gave support through donations and contributions for raffle prizes, refreshment stalls, and advertising plus those again able to sell tickets.

Thumbs up to local artists and marketers who got involved this year and set up exhibitions and stalls across selected gardens giving this year’s event that special point of difference and, of course, to the ramblers themselves without whom it simply wouldn’t work.

See you again in 2015.

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