Mary Berry joins Macmillan nurses for afternoon tea to celebrate 40th anniversary of charity partnership

Dame Mary Berry, President of the National Garden Scheme, joined Macmillan nurses for afternoon tea at a special event to celebrate the 40^th Anniversary of Macmillan Cancer Support’s charity partnership with the National Garden Scheme.

During the last 40 years the National Garden Scheme has raised more than £19 million for Macmillan through private garden openings, helping to fund more than 150 Macmillan nurses.

They have also made major contributions to the construction of three brand new cancer centres, the NGS Macmillan Wellbeing Centre in Bristol, the NGS Macmillan Unit in Chesterfield and the Y Bwthyn NGS Macmillan Specialist Palliative Care Unit in South Wales.

Jenny Lloyd lives in Monmouthshire in Wales, and has opened her garden over the last 12 years to raise money for Macmillan and other caring charities. Her inspiration to open under the National Garden Scheme arose from her admiration and gratitude for Macmillan nurses who helped care for her terminally ill mother at home during the last phase of her life.

Jenny said: “I was overwhelmed by the dedicated, compassionate, gentle care and support from the wonderful Macmillan nurses. From their first visit, I was struck by the immense capacity for selfless care. They would arrive at 10pm to care for my very sick mother and sit up all night with her to allow me to catch a good night’s sleep, knowing that I would be woken up if needed. I felt indebted to them for their help, their kindness and their humanity during this challenging time.”

After her mother passed away, Jenny moved back to the family farm in Monmouthshire to develop and open the garden there in her memory and has since raised over £70,000.

Another volunteer is Geoff Stonebanks, 71, from East Sussex, who first started opening his garden ‘Driftwood’ after Macmillan nurses supported his father in 2007. He went on to set up the Macmillan Coastal Garden Trail, raising an incredible £120,000 for the Macmillan Horizon Centre in Brighton and earning him an invitation to a Royal garden party at Buckingham Palace.

Over the past 14 years he’s welcomed 23,000 visitors to his award-winning garden, served 10,000 portions of cake and brewed more than 12,000 cuppas.

He said: “Over the years, so many garden visitors have told me how they or their families have benefitted from the Horizon Centre, and that’s a big driver for me to keep fundraising. Come rain, come shine, my garden visitors always bring the very best to Driftwood. For me, visitors are the final ingredient that brings my garden to life.”

At the 40^th anniversary celebration event, National Garden Scheme President Mary Berry met with Macmillan nurses from across the UK to hear about the support they provide to people living with cancer.

She said: “I’m immensely proud to be President of the National Garden Scheme and to celebrate all the incredible work that the charity does in supporting some of the UK’s best-loved nursing and health charities.  Who doesn’t enjoy a relaxing garden visit and delicious cake for tea, the owners sharing their beautiful gardens to raise money so passionately, for the National Garden Scheme. The partnership with Macmillan has flourished for 40 years and these substantial donations have helped create new cancer centres and employ their specialist nurses.”

Commenting on the partnership anniversary, Gemma Peters, Chief Executive of Macmillan Cancer Support, said, “The National Garden Scheme have had an incredible impact over the last 40 years, helping us continue to fund vital cancer support services and do whatever it takes for people living with cancer. Our partnership together champions the physical and mental health benefits of gardening, which we know can be valuable and comforting for those facing a cancer diagnosis. It’s thanks to the 3,500 garden openers, county organisers, staff, and trustees that we can be there for the growing number of people who need us.”

You can find out more about Macmillan’s partnership with the National Garden Scheme here.