Thank you to everyone who was able to support Parkside in Bloom, which was a tremendous success, raising over £16,000 which we are delighted to report is a record. Our visitors explored six unique private gardens, each showcasing the hard work and dedication of our gracious and generous garden hosts. In addition to the stunning gardens, they had the opportunity to join tours of the Bazalgette Memorial in St Mary’s Churchyard, learning about Joseph Bazalgette, the brilliant engineer behind the London sewer system and Hammersmith Bridge. These tours, kindly hosted by William Featherby KC added an educational highlight to a truly memorable evening.

We extend a very special thank you to each of our garden hosts for the incredibly warm welcome they gave, and we are particularly grateful to Nicky and Ewen Gilmour who hosted the drinks reception where guests enjoyed meeting some of the pupils from Linden Lodge School, along with Head teacher Sarah Norris and other staff. The evening was beautifully complemented by jazz duo Ben Clogston and Jad Al-Shakarchy, to whom we extend our gratitude.

One of our guests perfectly captured the spirit of the evening: “The gardens felt so welcoming, the guests were so enthusiastic, grateful and giving, the organisation so relaxed, and the party didn’t want to end!”

We are immensely grateful to our many volunteers who helped to make this such an enjoyable evening, in particular to Carey Ormrod who for many years has spearheaded recruiting volunteers and extracting platters of sandwiches from friends and neighbours! We also thank everyone who participated and contributed to this remarkable fundraising achievement.

The event has become so popular that it sold out well in advance, so we apologise if you were unable to buy tickets this time.

We would also like to extend our sincere thanks to our generous event sponsors Robert Holmes & Company, Wimbledon Homes and Waymap.