Over 700 people turned out in the summer sun to visit the Hidden Gardens of Grayshott on 9/10 June raising £5000 for village amenities in the process.

Twenty five private gardens opened their gates to the public, nine of them for the first time. Many gardens hosted afternoon teas and plant sales and several exhibited paintings.

St Luke's Church was at the centre of events with two floral tributes from Grayshott Flower Club. The first arrangement was a most ambitious floral carpet measuring five square metres. Conceived by Mrs Gill Purkiss, and designed by Mrs Lesley Stemp, Mrs Beryl Greenslade and Mr Frances Collins the carpet depicted the four seasons and was based on the Rudyard Kipling poem "The Glory of the Garden". Over 20 members of the flower club spent two days on their hands and knees to achieve the magnificent display which will remain in the church for those wishing to see it until it fades.

The second was a floral tribute to Grayshott Fire Service devised and arranged by Mrs Pam McNichol. The Fire Service are celebrating their centenary and pictured with the arrangement are Nicky Cope and Kerry Irwin-Dodd. On June 23rd the Fire Service celebrations run at Grayshott Fire Station from 10.00am to 1.00pm with a display of numerous fire appliances, specialist equipment and live demonstrations of fire and rescue scenarios.

The church also played host to Ludshott Photographic Society who mounted a slide show and static photographic exhibition showing garden related images and also captured the event over the whole weekend to ensure a record is available for the Grayshott Village Archive. Phil Peddy ARPS and his colleagues also had time to dash round the village capturing the event and have kindly supplied the photographs you see here.

St Luke's bell ringers were also out in force. The hand bell team gave a demonstration in the church and the tower bell ringers invited members of the public to join them in the tower to try their hand.

Phil Bates whose garden was opened for the event said "I was absolutely gob smacked over visitor numbers both from the village itself and those that had travelled from long distances. They were enthusiastic and knowledgeable folk who have great praise and compliments for the variety and interesting gardens they had so far visited. It was a most successful and pleasant weekend for everyone involved and many thanks must got to the project team Karen Flood, Pam Gilbert, Gill Purkiss, Olive Robinson, Vivienne Thompson and Vanessa Thompson who put in a tremendous amount of work both before and over the weekend. This is really a must have again event for Grayshott village."

The organisers would like to thank everyone, both visitors, gardeners and helpers who helped to make the event such a success. We very much hope we will hold the event again in 2009.