After a summer long initiative, people and businesses across the region opened up their gardens raising more than £10,000 for Weston Hospicecare.

As a record breaking heatwave swept across the region during the summer, hundreds of cups of tea and many cakes were baked to sell to raise money for the hospice.

The final amount raised was £10,046 as 12 gardens from Blagdon to Hutton, Wrington to Burnham-on-Sea, Weston-super-Mare, Worlebury, Weare, East Huntspill and the hospice garden in Uphill were all opened to the public as part of the programme.

Community fundraiser Sue Harding said: “On behalf of everyone at Weston Hospicecare, may we say a huge thank you to our fabulous and hardworking supporters who opened their gardens to the public in 2018 – raising a magnificent £10,046.

“We don’t underestimate the amount of sheer hard working involved in preparing your gardens for visitors, not to mention the baking of many cakes and the mountains of washing up afterwards. Thank you.

“We do also appreciate the visitors who dug deep in their pockets and filled our donation buckets with such an impressive sum – we are delighted.”

If you would like to add your garden to the 2019 summer open garden schedule, email sue.harding@westonhospicecare.org.uk.

The hospice must raise 80% of its annual £4.2million running cost through fundraising events, donations and retail shops meaning community events like the open gardens initiative prove vital in the hospices overall fundraising efforts.