Great news – our ‘Open Gardens’ initiative is back for a second year running and we would love for you to get involved!

Running all year round, with a Spring/Summer theme taking place from April to September and an Autumn/Winter theme taking place from October to March, our Open Gardens initiative aims to bring local communities across Dorset and Somerset together, to celebrate the wonderful gardens spread across both counties, whilst raising awareness and funds for Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance (DSAA).

No matter the size of your garden or whether it is pristine or wild, we are inviting everyone to get involved and to spend time outdoors, as a great way to promote health and well-being within their local community.

Whether you decide to open your garden to members of the public to have a look and a walk around, or plan to hold an afternoon event with a cream tea or a BBQ alongside, the initiative provides a fantastic opportunity for you to hold a special event within your local community in aid of DSAA.

Last year, we had a fantastic array of open garden events held in aid of the charity which raised over £8,570 for our life-saving service! Community fundraising initiatives like ‘Open Gardens’ play a vital role in helping to raise our operational costs of over £5 million per year, so we are hoping that you will once again show your support, by opening your garden in aid of DSAA.

Emma Jones, Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance Fundraising Manager said:

We are excited to be running our Open Gardens initiative for the second year in a row and would love for people to support us by opening their garden to raise funds and awareness for our life-saving service.

You could host a picnic, serve tea on the lawn or just keep it simple and let people sit or potter at their leisure. If you have neighbours that might like to showcase their gardens on the same day, then why not organise a village opening to bring people together and showcase your local community.

Whatever people decide to do, our team will fully support these generous people by providing all that they need to make their open garden event a ‘blooming’ success!

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