Raise funds for your local air ambulance by hosting an Open Garden and having an afternoon tea and cake.

Gather your friends, family and community together whilst raising vital funds to keep our helicopter flying and saving lives across Dorset and Somerset.

Everything you need to know is answered in our fundraising pack. We’ve put together tips and ideas on how to make the most out of your event. It gives you everything you'll need to host your Open Garden in aid of Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance.

1. Register for your Open Gardens pack
2. Set up your online fundraising page
3. Use our template invitation to invite your friends and family
4. Use our template poster to promote your event locally in your community
5. Have a read through our top tips and fundraising ideas below
6. Have a fun day and share your favourite air ambulance facts.
7. Help to keep our helicopter flying and saving lives by transferring the funds you’ve raised.

Get your pack

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Open Garden top tips and fundraising ideas

Have a read through our Open Garden top tips and fundraising ideas, these aim to help you raise as much as you can whilst making your event enjoyable for all. 

Plan refreshments and a bake sale

Tea and cake is always a hit, especially when it's for a great cause like your local air ambulance.

Why not ask your friends, family, local groups and businesses if they can donate cakes for your Open Garden? You could also bake and freeze homemade cakes ahead of your event then just defrost them the night before or the morning of your event.

Plant and bulb sales

Selling plants, cuttings and bulbs is a great way to attract visitors to your Open Garden and increase the funds you raise.

On-the-gate donations

We recommend a donation of £5 per adult, this could include tea and cake. Feel free to raise or lower this depending on the size of your garden. We do like to offer free entry for children as it is a great way to draw in families. It's important to remember this is a fundraiser to support the life-saving work of Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance so all donations are welcome.

We work alongside a large team of volunteers who could help with on-the-gate donations if this if needed.

Top tip: host an air ambulance-themed quiz or a treasure trail.

Online fundraising

Setting up your own online fundraising page is simple and only takes a few minutes to do.

Once you have set your page up you will have a personalised fundraising page link, you can share this with everyone so they can donate online if they don't have any change! This online page is also useful to send to any friends and family members that cannot make it on the day and want to donate to your event.