 |
| Charity Walkers at Exbury Gardens - for a larger image click on the picture above. |
Exbury Gardens provided a spectacular setting for a charity walk that is expected to raise over £2,000 in support of the Wessex Neurological Centre‟s Smile4Rich Appeal.
Over 40 walkers, including several former patients of the WNC, gathered at the world-famous gardens to tackle a route of approximately 5-miles covering much of the 200-acre gardens.
And while the magnificent Rothschild Collection of Rhododendrons and Azaleas, a veritable riot of colour at this time of year, afforded breath-taking views at every turn, walkers also competed in a "Treasure Trail‟ style quiz offering a family season ticket to Exbury Gardens for the winner.
The annual charity walk, being held at Exbury Gardens for the first time, attracted participants from as far afield as West Dorset, Portsmouth and the Isle of Wight.
Many were visiting Exbury for the first time, but even those who‟d visited on several previous occasions admitted that the walk took them to areas of the gardens that they‟d never explored before.
The first half of the route took in the Camelia Walks, Azalea Bowl, Winter Garden, River Walk (along the Beaulieu River) and Home Wood, before pausing for a well-earned "pit-stop‟ at the Tennis Court Tea Garden where each of the walkers enjoyed a delicious Cream Tea, included in the special entry package.
From there, it was on to the History Tree, Lovers Lane, Witcher‟s Wood, Jubilee Pond and the American Garden, before the final leg of the walk along Azalea Drive.
Those that chose to were then free to take a trip on Exbury‟s Steam Railway, which affords views over areas of the garden that are not accessible from the network of public paths.
Having set off at 1.15pm, the last of the walkers returned to the start/finish point by 5pm and all agreed that it had been a wonderful way to spend a sunny Sunday afternoon.
Some had been so captivated by the gardens that they'd missed some of the Treasure Trail clues, whilst others had obviously made every effort to win the prize - if only to give them an excuse to return to the gardens before next year!
In the end only one "team‟ correctly answered all of the questions, the Bishop family from Warsash, but the real winner on the day was the Smile4Rich Appeal and the patients of the Wessex Neurological Centre who benefit from the charity‟s support.
The verdict of just one of the walkers, Patricia Livett of Southampton, was typical of the comments received.
“It was different to most Sponsored Walks and really gave something back to the people who were walking it” said Patricia. “The Cream Tea in the middle was magic and the Treasure Trail really made the day as it helped point out many things we may otherwise have missed.”
The charity - whose Appeal Co-ordinator, Neil Westbrook, expressed his sincere thanks to the Rothschild family and Exbury‟s staff for their generous support - hope to stage the event at Exbury again next year, and if this year‟s reaction is anything to go by then it deserves to attract many more entrants.
The Smile4Rich Appeal was set up in memory of 15-year old Richard Bowler who passed away following a brain haemorrhage in July 2002. Since 2004, the appeal has raised around £300,000 for projects at the Wessex Neurological Centre, including a dedicated neurological intensive care ambulance, and a specialist suite to assess children with severe Epilepsy for life-changing corrective surgery. Further information can be found at www.smile4rich.co.uk
|
