TEN gardens in Bridgerule opened their gates to the public recently, in aid of the Devon and Cornwall Air Ambulance charities.

It was the tenth anniversary of this event, which over the previous nine years had raised a total of £18,959 towards these two causes.

For this special occasion the gardeners enlisted the help of well-known gardening broadcaster and writer Anne Swithinbank, who kindly agreed to open the event. After an opening ceremony in the gardens by Alan and Rosie Beat at the Bridge Mill, Anne cut a yellow ribbon to officially start the day before setting off on a tour of the gardens along with her husband, John, and escorted by Margaret Varley, a founding member of the event.

The ten gardens covered a wide range of situations. A large sculpture at The Villa made a striking focal point for a newly created gravel garden. The stumpery at Baraq effectively used different coloured bark chippings to set off a beautifully pruned golden conifer.

Meadows Barn hosted a raffle with prizes donated by local businesses, and had a neat and tidy vegetable garden with not a weed in sight! An eye-catching feature at Uplands was the amazing circular rainbow of candelabra primulas.Canna Park with its wildlife area conveyed a sense of peace and calm.

Watersedge made the most of a narrow riverside plot with thoughtful design, and offered musical interludes on the hour! Tamar House offered a range of refreshments, including light lunches in a garden that lies between two roads, yet conveys a feeling of size, space and tranquillity.

At Owlies visitors saw the work-in-progress of new garden areas with ponds under development. At Morwenna, the circular outside seating and barbecue area recalled the ‘boma’ fire pits of the gardener’s South African roots. The Bridge Mill had a wild woodland and water garden centred on a working water mill.

Anne and John visited each one in turn to meet the gardeners and answer questions from members of the public. On a wet and windy day, visitors still turned out in good numbers to support the event. The village hall proved a focal point for the day offering morning coffees, a cake stall, cream teas in the afternoon, and an art exhibition.

The amount raised by the event was £2,700, taking the ten-year total to £21,659. Anne Swithinbank said: “The gardens were fabulous! I’m very pleased a good sum was raised despite the dire weather.”

The gardeners later gathered together to present cheques for £1,350 to both Devon and Cornwall Air Ambulance charities.