Open garden raises more than £1,000 for charity
An award-winning Shropshire horticulturist has raised more than £1,000 for charity by opening up his picturesque country garden to visitors.
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Tom Pountney who owns Offcot in Kynaston near Kinnerley in Oswestry opened his half-acre garden last weekend for the second year running, raising funds for Macmillan Cancer Support.
The general manager of Love Plants at Salop Leisure in Shrewsbury previously welcomed visitors to raise money for the National Garden Scheme.
This year, Tom raised £1,020 in total for the charity with homemade cakes, refreshments and a plant stall also available for visitors last Sunday.
"We had a really wonderful day," said Gill Eleftheriou, spokeswoman for Macmillan Cancer Support's Shrewsbury Fundraising Group. "Everyone was blown away by Tom's garden which looked absolutely stunning.
"One visitor called it 'the best garden in Shropshire!' With perfect weather and a beautifully peaceful location, we wouldn't have wished to be anywhere else."
The garden has been 'a labour of love' since Tom moved to Offcot nine years ago. After studying horticulture at Pershore College, the gardener secured his position at the specialist plants centre in Emstrey and also created the winning show garden for Salop Leisure and Love Plants at Shrewsbury Flower Show last year.
