More than £22,000 was raised for local charities at a special open gardens event at the Corsham home of Pink Floyd musician Nick Mason and his wife Annette.
This was the most the event has raised in its four year history. The money raised will be split between The Wiltshire Bobby Van Trust and Wiltshire Air Ambulance’s Airbase Appeal.
The gardens, at Middlewick House in Corsham, were busy all weekend (10 and 11 June 2017) as thousands of visitors enjoyed the beautiful gardens. Attracting a lot of interest were Nick’s sports and classic cars which were on display, plus the family’s animals. Visitors also browsed a range of stalls, including plants, gifts and pieces by Alan Dun, one of Bath’s leading fine art sculptors.
Both the Wiltshire Bobby Van Trust and Wiltshire Air Ambulance are charities that are close to Nick and Annette’s hearts. Nick and Annette recently became Ambassadors for Wiltshire Air Ambulance.
Nick Mason said: “Annette and I are thrilled at the support our open gardens event received, which in turn has raised vital funds for The Wiltshire Bobby Van Trust and Wiltshire Air Ambulance’s Airbase Appeal. Both charities do such wonderful work in the community helping people in need.”
Jennie Shaw, Director of The Wiltshire Bobby Van Trust, said: “We are delighted by the success of this year’s open gardens weekend at Middlewick House. The amount raised for local charities set a new record. We’d like to thank everyone who visited, volunteered at the event, donated items including cakes for sale and raffle prizes and also to the residents of Middlewick Lane, Corsham, who are so supportive.
“The Wiltshire Bobby Van Trust will be using the funds raised to roll out our new initiative supporting people over the age of 60 to identify online fraud, which is Wiltshire’s fastest growing crime targeting the elderly.”
David Philpott, Chief Executive of Wiltshire Air Ambulance, said: “We are so grateful to Nick and Annette Mason for supporting Wiltshire Air Ambulance and to everyone who attended the open gardens event. The funds raised will go to our Airbase Appeal to complete the building and equipping of our new airbase at Semington, near Melksham.”
