An English Botanical Garden:
A Volunteer’s Confessions.

Tutor/Leader: Marlene Cann
Speaker: Adrian Lees
Location: Sunbury Football Social Club,
Behind Clarke Oval, Riddell Road, Sunbury
Date: Thursday 10 October 2024
Time: 10:00 am – 11:45 AM
Numbers: 50

Today our speaker will be Adrian Lees, a U3A Sunbury member, previous speaker, course leader and a friend to many of our members.

Adrian will be talking about Holehird Gardens in Cumbria, England which is the home of the Lakeland Horticultural Society.
It is located in the grounds of the grand Victorian mansion known as Holehird. It comprises over 5 hectares of formal and hillside gardens and has been open to the public for over 50 years.

It is a splendid garden and often referred to by visitors as a hidden gem.
It provides something for the visitor every month of the year, but it’s best times are spring and late summer.

It is staffed entirely by volunteers who maintain and develop the garden, provide horticultural training and education, undertake administration duties, and provide services to the 8000 plus visitors who attend each year.

For want of something better to do, Adrian and his wife Jane volunteered their services to the Society shortly after they retired in 2012. In the busy 10 years that followed they found they had undertaken many duties in the Society, actually learnt something about horticulture, and made many good friends. This presentation aims to share with you more about the garden and their volunteer experiences.