News

On Sunday 9th May, we welcomed members of the public behind our gates for the very first time as part of the National Garden Scheme’s Open Gardens Event.

From 9 ’til 5, we had 20 people per hour exploring our gardens and finding out more about Derian House. For many, this was their first time visiting, and the general feedback was that people couldn’t believe just how big our hospice grounds are!

Many of our volunteers were here at Derian for the first time in almost 15 months, and they really appreciated being back and helping us raise awareness of our worthy cause. From manning stalls and marshaling the gardens, to serving refreshments and greeting people on the reception base, they did a sterling job and their help was very much appreciated.

Shuna our Pets as Therapy dog was very happy to be back, and her humans told us that when she’s been out on walks during the past year, she has been desperately trying to sniff at children who she passes as she’s been missing our children and young people at Derian so much!

We can’t thank Gareth and his trusty team of volunteers enough for all of their hard work over the past few months, getting our gardens spick and span ready for Sunday’s successful (and sell-out) event.

The general public were really touched by the sheer brilliance of our grounds, and we’re looking forward to welcoming more of them back on Sunday 8th August for an even bigger and better Open Gardens Event.