Mawnan WI has held an Annual Garden Safari for a number of years; each time about a dozen gardens around the village have been open to visitors. During the afternoon, there has been the chance to sit down in one of the gardens to enjoy a homemade Cornish Cream Tea, browse through books for sale or purchase plants.
Last year Mawnan WI raised nearly £3,000 for Children’s Hospice South West (CHSW), and they had aimed to be even more successful with their fundraising for CHSW in 2020. However, the pandemic meant that the women had to change their plans and instead they decided to run a virtual event: Through the Garden Gate.
An amazing 44 members and friends took part by sending photos of themselves by their garden gates and four others photos of different parts of their gardens. Everyone then had to guess who owns which garden – this was more challenging than you would think, although some participants had included helpful clues.
The Garden Safari has always been one of Mawnan WI’s most popular events for both members and the local community. As the WI is in its centenary year in 2020, the members wanted to do something really special to celebrate. The result was a video of Through the Garden Gate, giving a glimpse into some of the beautiful gardens in Mawnan Smith.
The video also reveals for the first time Mawnan WI’s celebratory plaque which will hang in the Memorial Hall where the group usually meets – it was designed and made by one of the members to reflect the ethos of Mawnan WI.
In these difficult times, the CHSW care team is even busier than usual and the charity depends on fundraising in the community: Every pound counts. Mawnan WI’s Through the Garden Gate video can be seen on YouTube and Facebook, and they would like to invite as many people as possible to view it and support the fantastic work of CHSW by donating here.
