Gardening Club
West Down Gardening Club was formed in 2001 by three enthusiastic gardening ladies in response to a lot of keen gardeners in the Parish. From its lowly beginnings of getting speakers to come along and inform us on a non existent budget we now have over 60 members and have a busy and vibrant membership from both West Down and surrounding areas.
Apart from talks from gardening and associated speakers we have had open gardens to visit in the local area, mini shows, quizzes, visits to gardens and nurseries and from 2012 long weekends away with trips to Yorkshire, Sussex/Kent, Staffordshire and Worcestershire, Portsmouth and The Cotswolds taking in the famous gardens of the areas. We have had talks from RHS Rosemoor’s/Radio Devon’s Sarah Chesters, Pippa Greenwood, Andy McIndoe ex Managing Director of Hilliers Nurseries, Chris Beardshaw to name just a few well known people and, of course, the local and not so local nurseries with a wealth of facts and tit bits of interest. We are affiliated with the Royal Horticultural Society.
Meetings are held on the third Thursday in the month (apart from February) at 7.30 p.m. at West Down Parish Hall (EX34 8NF) unless otherwise stated in the programme below. There is a monthly competition for members. We always welcome non members to our meetings. Some of our meetings are by ticket entry only so for more details please contact Jan Oades, Chairman, on 01271 879599.