Months of work by dedicated volunteers have gone into Fontmell Magna’s new friendship garden – and this weekend it will be officially opened with a guest of honour.

The garden was started as a project on the theme of ‘love, friendship and remembrance’ – a resource villagers could enjoy to boost their health and provide cut flowers to cheer up vulnerable villagers. The project was backed by the social prescribing team at The Blackmore Vale Partnership.

Now the garden is starting to grow and bloom, and there will be a gathering for around 200 guests this Saturday, who will enjoy tea and cake, burgers and live entertainment.

The latest contribution came from Bryanston School, in the form of a very glam roadside sign. Martin Bolton from the DT department and his pupils designed and made the sign to match the team’s logos and features the forget-me- not, which villagers chose as their emblem.

Bryanston are also bringing a band to the garden open day. The day promises to be great fun, with the Lord Lieutenant as special guest.

Project coordinator Sian Highnam said: “Our event is outdoors and the only change we will be making is to have teas and cakes outside.”

An appeal in January for volunteers to turn the garden behind the surgery in Fontmell Magna into a flower garden as a green prescription for the community received an overwhelming response, with some 110 villagers of all ages growing seeds, digging beds, sewing bunting and planting wild areas.

The cut flower garden will offer a place for the community to gather and collect flowers, a place to make posies to deliver to vulnerable villagers and a space for people to gather and enjoy nature.

Sian added: “I am so very, very proud of our very small village and what all the stakeholders are doing.”

Organisers are trying to keep the numbers to 200 for the open day to help with covid restrictions, and they have a pretty full guest list.

Anyone who would really love to go though, can email Sian at garden.fmvh@mail.com.

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