One of the main events of the Queen’s Jubilee weekend was the opening of 20 mainly private gardens for viewing. The gardens looked magnificent. Even though the Saturday morning was rained off by a deluge, the rest of the weekend was fine and the event raised a very welcome £1,300 for St Luke’s Hospice, thanks to the hard work of the Kingsbridge Community Garden volunteers and all the local garden owners.

Another event in aid of the Hospice is to visit Flete House on July 3. The enigmatic and fascinating house is surrounded by elegantly landscaped parkland. The Italianate gardens, shrubbery and water gardens are complimented by some excellent specimen trees and panoramic views of the South Hams. Refreshments and plant sales on the day, entry £7 per adult Children U 16 free.

An interesting aspect of local history is that Flete House was used as a Maternity Hospital during World War II. If you are one of the Flete Babies, you’ll surely want to attend this visit.

A highlight of St Luke’s year will be a return to the beautiful gardens of Bowringsleigh, near Kingsbridge, on September 4. Details of all St Luke’s Open Gardens can be found at Open-Gardens-2022-Guidebook-Digital.pdf (stlukes-hospice.org.uk)