THE speaker at the May meeting was Judy Berrow, Worcestershire County Organiser for the National Garden Scheme.

The theme of her talk was Private Gardens for Public Enjoyment.

It was an interesting talk with slides of some of the 60 gardens in the county that appear in the famous Yellow Book, which lists all the gardens in the scheme.

Seventy-five percent of those who take part are privately owned by dedicated gardeners who often provide tea and cakes for visitors.

She also spoke about the beginnings of the scheme and also the origin of District Nurses.

All the proceeds from these events are given to charity. In 2003, an amazing £50,000 was raised in Worcestershire and nationally a record-breaking £1.8 million, which will be donated to the dozen or so charities the scheme supports.

There will be no meeting next month. Instead, there will be a visit to a nursery in Feckenham.

The July speaker will be Janet Williams on Bees in your Garden.

Meetings are held at the village hall, Alcester Road, on the first Wednesday of the month.