Category Archives: News

Music in the Garden 2023

Freda's Annual Garden Event Returns!

Freda is excited to announce the return of her popular Music in the Garden event on Sunday, July 9th.

This year’s event features top crooner Peter Sinclair as the host, accompanied by a fantastic lineup of guest musicians including the London Concert Chorus conducted by Georg Tormann, vocalists Matt Thomas and Zara, and the Rock Choir.

Admission is just £10 and includes a complimentary hot drink and a slice of cake.

All proceeds will be going to St. Christopher’s hospice

No need to pre-book, as tickets will be available at the door. Don’t miss out on this exciting event!

NGS Open Garden – 24th July 2022

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National Garden Scheme Opening 2022

The garden will open again for the NGS on Sunday 24th July, 12pm – 4pm.

Refreshments will be available and various musician will entertain visitors around the garden during the opening.

Featuring:
The Rock Choir
The Orpington Folk Group Scratch Band
Frank McConnell (guitar) with Jean Bentley.

Small Art Exhibitions & Pot Luck

Admission:
Adults: £5.00
Children: free

Advance booking not necessary.

Tickets available on door

Music in the Garden 2021

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Music in the Garden, 25th July 2021

Another fantastic afternoon in Freda’s Garden for her annual Music in the Garden open garden event on Sunday 25th July.

Hosting the event was Pete Sinclair, who crooned some classic hits throughout the afternoon. He was joined by Fred Snow’s Jazz Trio who performed an exciting and highly entertaining jazz set that definitely got the audience tapping their toes tapping.

Sadly, due to Covid we were unable to have the London Concert Chorus attend the event, so instead we had the wonderful Pete Storm step in to provide some Elvis and Johnny Cash numbers. The event raised vital funds for the NSPCC.

Freda Receives an Honour

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Freda Receives An Honour

We are delighted to announce that Freda has been recognised for her services to the NSPCC and the community of Bromley, in the New Years Honours list.

For over 13 years Freda has raised money for a number of charities, including the NSPCC, and as part of the National Garden Scheme, from opening her personal gardens to the public several times a year, and hosting events to the delight of her visitors.

Freda has raised over £74,000 for charity to date.

"Freda’s open garden events have been very popular over the last 13 years and have helped to raise a staggering amount of money for the NSPCC and other causes. It’s clear Freda puts her heart and soul into her gardens and it’s amazing that she shares them with everyone, to help children and young people at risk of abuse. Well done Freda – this award is so incredibly well deserved!"

Rachel Sullivan

NSPCC Community Fundraising Manager for London

Music in the Garden 2019

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Music in the Garden, 7th July 2019

A fabulous afternoon was had by all on Sunday at my Music in the Garden event. Thank you to everyone who managed to come. We had over 185 visitors and we raised over £1,445 for the NSPCC.

I would like to say a special thanks to Pete Sinclair, who again hosted the afternoon and sang between acts (I especially liked his Neil Diamond!), the wonderful a cappella group Vocal Eclipse who welcomed people into the garden, the Bromley Philharmonic Choir who entertained us with songs from the 60s and 70s, the barbarshop group Bromley Male Voices, and the wonderfully entertaining Frank McConnell on his guitar.

I would also like to thank the many volunteers who gave their time to serve refreshments and man stalls.

An Afternoon of Music in the Garden, 2019

A fabulous afternoon was had by all on Sunday at my Music in the Garden event.

Thank you to everyone who managed to come. We had over 185 visitors and we raised over £1,445 for the NSPCC.

I would like to say a special thanks to Pete Sinclair, who again hosted the afternoon and sang between acts (I especially liked his Neil Diamond!), the wonderful a cappella group Vocal Eclipse who welcomed people into the garden, the Bromley Philharmonic Choir who entertained us with songs from the 60s and 70s, the barbarshop group Bromley Male Voices, and the wonderfully entertaining Frank McConnell on his guitar.

I would also like to thank the many volunteers who gave their time to serve refreshments and man stalls.

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Group visit from the Swanley U3A

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Group visit from the Swanley U3A

It was another busy week in the garden for me last week, as not only did I have a number of group visits, but I also had my last NGS Open Garden of the Summer on the Sunday.

This delightful group of ladies and gentlemen visited me from the U3A Swanley gardening group. My art gallery was also very popular with the group, who purchased a print or two from me.

Added a new bed to Orchard

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It was bothering me for a while, the empty patch at the back of the Orchard, so earlier this month I decided it was time to add a bit of interest and colour to the area.

The area before:

After clearing the area and plotting out the bed, I chose the following plants:

Viburnum
Buddleja candy pink and sky blue
Lobelia
Achillea violet and pink
Penstemon red and violet
Sweet William

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NGS Open Garden, 8th July 2018

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We have another lovely day of weather for my first National Garden Scheme opening of the summer. It was a quieter affair to the previous week, so visitors were able to take in the full glory of the garden.

The garden was again brought to life with live music from the wonderful Vocal Eclipse and local musicians which included Frank McConnell. The Scratch Band. Keith Halford
Derek McGonigle and Ivan & Freda.

Another afternoon enjoyed by all.

I will be opening again on Sunday 19th August, 12pm – 4pm. Please note this is the same weekend of the Biggin Hill airshow, but traffic should have quietened down by the time we open. We also might get to see the Red Arrow fly by, as they often circle the sky around Biggin Hill for the show, and in previous years they have flown directly over the garden!

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Music in the Garden 2018

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Music in the Garden, 1st July 2018

We had another fantastic day in the garden on Sunday 1st July 2018 for our annual Music in The Garden event. We were again very lucky with the weather, which was fantastic and had approximately 218 visitors on the day. Together we raised over £1,800 for the ed the garden and for the NSPCC.

An extra thank you to The Carefree Singers, Westerham Local Vocals and Peter Sinclair who entertained us all afternoon, and to Ivan who accompanied me on the Accordion. Thank you to the ladies running the stalls and who gave their time and the lovely ladies who kept us all refreshed with delicious tea and cakes. And lastly, a special thanks to Nick at NE Gardencare, Karen from Premier Cuisine and Love Products who helped pay for our promotional flyers.