Community gears up for open gardens event

Green-fingered residents in part of Nottinghamshire are gearing up for an open gardens event that has been running for almost four decades.

This year's edition of Lady Bay Open Gardens sees the public invited to explore 26 lovingly prepared green spaces across the suburb.

Participating gardens will showcase a variety of designs with several front gardens and "gardens in a wheelbarrow".

Visitors are being asked to start their journey at centrally located gardens at 28 and 45 Pierrepont Road, where event programmes will be available, and money raised by the event will go to Lady Bay Community Fund which offer grants to local groups and individuals.

Volunteer organiser Marian Beaumont said: "There's a whole variety of different gardens, ranging from a train garden with the sight and sound of the steam trains right through to succulents and cactus in a hot house.

"We have a garden that has made the most of recycling and reusing materials.

"It's a very sociable event, people come from all over Nottingham and also from other parts of the country as well.

"We're part of the National Gardens programme as well, so people will see us in there too."

A number of gardens will feature musical performances across the weekend and some will be raising money for other charities.

Paul Williamson, who is among those opening up his garden, said: "It started off as a rectangle of grass probably nearly 30 years ago.

"I've got a long sweeping herbaceous border on one side and a sort of cottage garden style bed in front of a patio at the bottom."

Rail enthusiast Thomas Anthony O'Hara started building his railway-themed garden, complete with miniature track, in 2016 and has taken part in the event since 2019.

"It was a nice little idea my mum had and I thought 'yeah I'll have a go'. Around 500 - 600 people visit."

O'Hara admitted it was an expensive hobby.

"Some of the locos I'm running would cost a lot," he said. "The ones with sounds are the ones that will cost [the value of] a small car and it's just the sound cards in general.

"Some of them I can't get anymore so if they break I don't know what to do."

The Lady Bay Open Garden weekend takes place from 11:00 to 16:00 both days.

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