ON Sunday, June 30, from 1pm to 5pm, the village of Cheriton Fitzpaine is throwing open a number of its lovely gardens for the public to enjoy.

A total of 11 gardens, all within walking distance of the Parish Hall in the centre of the village, will be available for people to wander around and meet the brave owners who have agreed to take part.

The gardens include a large farmhouse garden that is being adapted to be easy maintenance as the owners get older, a traditional cottage garden, an intimate patio garden, a well established "secret" walled garden and a number of other lovely gardens attached to a variety of homes in the village.

Every garden is individual and unique and is maintained by a keen gardener. Six of the gardens have never been opened before whilst the other five took part in a similar event in 2017.

More than 125 people went along to the 2017 event when the first Cheriton Fitzpaine Open Gardens afternoon took place.

Everyone praised the variety of gardens on show and the hard work put in by the garden owners to have them looking at their very best.

It was universally judged to be a great afternoon, which is why Cheriton Fitzpaine’s busy Garden Club was asked to organise a similar event this year.

As in 2017, tickets for viewing all 11 gardens, priced at £6 for 13 and overs, £3 for five-to-12-year-olds with five-and-unders free, will be available from Cheriton Fitzpaine Parish Hall from 12.30pm on the day.

The ticket will include a map and details of all the gardens opening.

As a special bonus, from 2.30pm to 4.30pm, included in the ticket price, a home-made tea with cakes and scones will be served to every visitor at the Parish Hall by Garden Club members.

A percentage of the profits from the event will be donated to Save The Children to mark its 100th anniversary.

Cheriton Fitzpaine is just a 15 to 20 minute drive from Crediton leaving the town on the A3072 towards Tiverton, and then branching off to the left in the direction of Thorne’s Farm Shop after about three miles at Coffin Tree Cross.

Parking will be available at the Parish Hall and the local primary school as well as around the village. All the gardens can be accessed from level or gently sloping tarmac roads or pavements.