The sun was shining, the England football team had just thrashed Panama in the World Cup, the England cricket team beat the Aussies, the England Rugby team beat the South Africans and the gardens in Martyr Worthy were open – all in one day!  What more could one possibly want?

It is such a privilege to be allowed to roam around the gardens of our neighbours:  so beautifully designed and planted by people who really know what they are doing.  I know a lot of work went into getting the gardens ready for the day.  Thank you to all our garden owners: to Nick and Alison Smith,

Simon and Lucinda Ffennell, Charles and Isobel Pinder,

Geoffrey Burnand,

John and Liz Platt,

and Andrew and Katherine Impey.

It became clear fairly early on that most of the visitors to the wonderful gardens of Martyr Worthy were ladies – until the football was over and the gents could be assured that a move up to the last 16 was definitely in the bag.

And then there were the teas in the Martyr  Worthy Village Hall.

An incredible range of cakes (including thank you so much gluten free cakes) and ‘only in England on a hot day like this’ as Nora our French neighbour observed, ‘would you all drink hot tea…’ ‘But we are not used to having weather like this in the Summer….’ I replied.

What an amazing day.  England at its Summer best.  Thank you so much to Guy Green and his wonderful team of so many people, including Janet, Simon and Lucinda, Liz and John, Nick and Alison, Isobel and Charles, Andrew and Katherine, Jo, Louise and Quentin, Peter and Vera, Maria, Sara and Richard, Paul, Yvette, Shirley, John, Richard and Amanda, Scot and Sally, Mike and Stephanie, Will and Sophie, Nora, Victoria, Zoe, Cathy, Simon and Laura who worked so hard to put all this on.   With just under 300 people attending, a very good figure of £1850 raised for the Itchen Valley Churches and the Martyr Worthy Village Hall.  A particular thank you on behalf of the Itchen Valley Churches who are one of the beneficiaries of this fantastic fund raising effort.

Alex Pease