The first Bramshott Open Gardens was organised in 1987 to help raise funds for repairs to the roof of historic St Mary’s Church.
25 houses opened their gardens to visitors during that first summer weekend, and it proved so popular that over £1,000 was collected through ticket sales, raffles, and donations. Everyone worked very hard and enjoyed sharing the pleasure of their gardening efforts with enthusiastic and knowledgeable visitors. After that first weekend it was agreed unanimously by the villagers that the Open Gardens should feature as a regular biannual fundraising event, and it has been held, with one single exception, every two years since then.
In 1994 it was agreed by the organising committee that the funds collected should be shared among other deserving local causes. The decision was made to split the total equally three ways, so that Macmillan Cancer Support, St Mary’s church, and the Bramshott Sunken Lanes Project should all receive benefits from the joint efforts of the village.
In 2012 the church was again in need of major roof repairs, so the major portion of the funds raised that year were donated to the roof fund.
In 2014 the committee revised the policy again, using the traditonal three-way split, with a modest donation to support the Bramshott Bugle, our local quarterly magazine produces by hardworking volunteers.
In 2018 we had a fantastic success with the Open Gardens and donated record amounts to Macmillan Cancer Care, St Mary’s Church, Bramshott Sunken Lanes Project as well as various local projects, local charities and good causes.
Despite not being able to hold an event in 2020 we were still able to go ahead with the plant sale outside the Church and also created a virtual event on YouTube.
In 2022 we were all delighted to see so many people returning to our village. It was a glorious weekend and we thank everyone who volunteered or visited for their support.
We most recently held our 2024 event, the 18th we have held and it was a huge success despite some damp weather on the first day.
Visit the ’causes you support’ page to find out more about how the money raised is helping our local community.
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