Rare open garden at home of celebrated rose grower raises £10,000

The event for the National Garden Scheme took place over the weekend with a thousand visitors able to explore the stunning Albrighton home and garden of David C. H. Austin OBE.

The garden, which has rarely been open to the public, is where Mr Austin senior’s passion for breeding roses turned into a business in 1961 when he released his first rose, Constance Spry.

David Austin pledged to raise £10,000 for the National Garden Scheme as part of a collaboration with pottery brand Emma Bridgewater, where the two co-designed a charitable mug depicting the golden yellow David Austin 'Bring Me Sunshine' rose.

A £5 donation for every mug sold is also being donated by Emma Bridgewater to the National Garden Scheme, which supports nursing and health charities through garden openings, events and products.

Ticket holders for the sold-out event were able to enjoy music, garden games and traditional English treats, as well as David Austin’s six themed rose gardens, restaurant and plant centre, which are open all year round.

Kirsty Fleetwood, sales & marketing director, said: “We are proud to have raised this money for the National Garden Scheme, which does so much to promote the benefits of gardening and makes a great difference through the charities it supports. Thank you to everyone who came and our team, who worked hard to make it possible.

“The garden is a beautiful and natural space, including many of our English roses, which we have maintained and developed the way we believe Mr Austin Senior would have liked it. It was wonderful giving visitors this rare opportunity to explore the very place where his passion turned into the beginnings of the business we are today.”

George Plumptre, CEO of the National Garden Scheme, said: "We are immensely grateful to David Austin Roses for their ongoing support of our work and the wonderfully unique partnership opportunities they have offered the National Garden Scheme.

"Corporate partnerships form an important part of our fundraising at the National Garden Scheme, and linking with like-minded companies that not only offer superlative products but also share our values about the important benefits of gardens and gardening to communities and everyone's health and wellbeing, like David Austin Roses, are hugely important to us."