Pettistree Open Gardens Weekend
Saturday 27th & Sunday 28th June 2009

29th June 2009

“Just thought you would like to know the grand total, which, after our expenses of £43.33 for paper, laminating, printing, hazard tape and bolt for loo door, comes to £3000.00. We had 398 adult paying visitors, according to the money taken.”

Report of Meeting - 18th May at The Greyhound

Apologies

Mike Watts, Steve Hind, Mike & Sheila Manning

Police

Pc Rebecca O'Neil was in attendance to give advice on security:

Traffic cones were requested (will remind in email nearer the time). Will try and get their Community Support Officer to be around at some point during the weekend.

Parking

It was agreed that the safest way to direct traffic was in via Pettistree Lodge gate and out via Walnuts Lane. That way the congestion near the Greyhound would be less (particularly if the Morris Dancers want to dance in the street) and there would be less conflict with the pedestrians exiting in Walnuts Lane to go to the first garden (Rogues Cottage). Bunting to be strung along the entrance route; visibility tape wound round gate posts at both ends; straw bales to be available in case of extreme wet weather.

A rota of stewards would be sorted to manage the parking and sell brochures. Gazebo to be erected to shelter stewards and whiteboard to advise of any changes.

Dave has constructed a variety of posts and boards to place directional signs on to guide cars to the right place, and to safely disperse traffic afterwards. Warning signs re pedestrians will be placed on Walnuts Lane.

Gardens

We now have 15 gardens plus the church, which will be included in the numbering. Welcome to Steve & Jill Wassell and Masood & Katie Sharif. Visitors to be directed from Walnuts Lane, east along The Street, over the B1438 to The Rosery, then back to The Street for refreshments at The Laurels, then on to the rest of The Street and the Presmere section, finishing at Coopers Cottage where there will be the museum of agricultural implements, more refreshments and various stalls.

An alternative footpath route to The Rosery will be advertised, over the church fields.

Every adult to be given a brochure so that we know who has paid. Some available in gardens too. Sticky badges to be available for stewards.

Risk Assessments

Dave & Cath will visit all gardens in the first half of June - please book as soon as possible. It is important that these are done to show we are considering risks and trying to minimise them.

Toilets

Outside toilets at The Greyhound will be available all weekend, whilst the Church Room disabled access toilet may be finished.

Refreshments

Maggie has a few helpers lined up but needs cakes to be donated. No set charge for refreshments but donations invited. Cakes also needed for Coopers Cottage refreshments.

Publicity

Other activities

Morris dancers - two troupes to attend on the Saturday. Will dance in coned off area by The Green and in the Halletts' driveway near the refreshments. Road by pub will be busy but possible later in the afternoon.

Bell ringing - Mary organising others to come and ring.

Church garden & hedgerow flower festival - Cherry has this in hand with volunteers.

 Plant stall at garden 10 - please deliver plants near to the date as Mike already has a lot to look after. Dave will label up and sort out prices with Mike.

Cake stall & second-hand jewellery stall at garden 16 (Coopers Cottage). Mary will manage these - please send donations to her.

Photographs - Joanna Rowles will be photographing the gardens on the Friday evening and over the weekend.

Friday 26 June, evening, has been set aside for garden owners to visit all the gardens, culminating with a BBQ at Rogues Cottage. Please meet at 6pm at Amberley House (garden 2) and follow the route, to get to Rogues Cottage by 8pm.

Other Comments

Dave has booked the week off before the event to set things up. He will have a ‘flying squad’ of volunteers on hand to cover any emergencies or to deliver more brochures etc. Please let Cath have mobile telephone contacts (see contact details below) so that Dave can advise of any problems on the day.

A Folk Festival will be taking place in the marquee at The Greyhound on the Saturday night.

The church will be having a special festival service on the Sunday.

Report of Meeting - 2nd March at The Greyhound

Gardens

1 Presmere Road confirmed as being an open garden. Total of 13 confirmed and 1 possible. Loudham residents encouraged to join in but unable to assist at this time.

Garden Descriptions.

Stop press: Masood & Katie Sharif are joining us with the garden at White House.

Entrance programme: a draft mock up of a possible brochure was passed round, showing a map, important information, date and cost on front, plus some sample descriptions on the inside. Everyone happy so far. Tony Franklin offered to try and do more with the brochure. Cath will enquire about printing final copies off through work (small cost for risograph master and ink if own paper bought). A draft numbered entry poster for each garden was also passed round - alterations suggested. Programme should be sufficient - labels for visitors not needed, although owners/stewards having badges would be helpful. Will note walking distance to The Rosery via Church fields - need to make sure that visitors head this way as it is a little removed from the rest of the village.

Risk assessments: a sample form had been drafted with Rogues Cottage assessed for high, medium and low risk elements, with suggested advice. It was felt that this should be sufficient to meet any queries over potential risks and insurance issues as risks were being recognised and evaluated. Assessments to be carried out at the beginning of June; appointments to be made at next meeting.

Insurance - Church and Village Hall insurances have been checked. Cover is quite comprehensive. Public liability for any event elsewhere that supports the Village Hall is covered. Notification to company is only required if 500 or more people attending at any one time - not applicable here. It is a collective insurance through Suffolk ACRE.

Security: made contact with Community Police Officer Shaun Brett (awaiting a reply at time of meeting).

Stop press: new Community Officer as of 1st April will be Pc Rebecca O'Neill. Will try and have a presence over the weekend. Traffic cones also requested. Invited to next meeting but also to meet with Dave and Cath beforehand in case duty intervenes.

First Aid: it was agreed that the presence of St Johns Ambulance or similar would not be needed (not seen at other open gardens). Community First Responders available locally via 999 system.

Parking

Field parking and one-way system confirmed by Claire Signy and Dick Smith (thanks to both) - in at Walnuts Lane and out via Pettistree Lodge driveway. Will need rota of stewards in car park. Gazebo offered by Mary and Chris Garner to provide shelter. Straw bales may be needed if wet weather anticipated. Suggested that a ‘Vehicles parked at own risk’ sign needed. Sheila has booked the Village Hall car park out for the weekend, for owners' vehicles.

John Woods nursery will not be holding an open weekend so unable to combine parking arrangements.

Toilets

Outside toilets at The Greyhound will be available all weekend, whilst the Church Room disabled access toilet may be finished. To be advertised on front page. Pettistree Lodge toilet facilities withdrawn as these are too close to the stables and horses, which will be off limits to visitors. Other facilities to be listed with individual gardens (Old Carleford has a toilet in the studio).

Refreshments

The Laurels marquee and facilities in hand with church volunteers. Donations of cakes will be needed - please publicise. BBQ organised at The Greyhound, together with mini beer festival.

Publicity

Amelia Reynolds, of BBC Look East, was christened at Pettistree Church and her grandparents lived at The Laurels. Suggested she be invited as a pre-event advertiser - Maggie offered to show her round the house.

Supporting Activities update

Other Comments

Please give Cath any email addresses / telephone contacts (see below).

Terry & Ann Rowles of Low Farm have offered to help (have trailers & a marquee too).

Friday 26 June, evening, to be set aside for garden owners to visit all the gardens, culminating with a BBQ at Rogues Cottage. Dave and Cath will have seen all the gardens by then so can concentrate on cooking!

Dave has booked 3 days off before the event to set things up.

Please continue to invite other gardens to join us - but no pressure!

Next meeting

Monday 18 May, 9.00pm, at the Greyhound (after PCC meeting).

Dave Caudwell 01728 74710

Report of Meeting - 26th January at The Greyhound

Gardens represented: Also possibly opening:
Coopers Cottage 1 Presmere Road
Sunnyside Strawtop
Flint Cottage
Old Carleford
Scotts Hall
Burways
Pettistree Lodge
The Laurels
Jasmine House
Church Farm
The Rosery
Rogues Cottage
Offers of help:
Jim & Pauline Jarvie
Steve & Jill Wassell
Chris & Mary Garner
Jenny Ayris

The objective of having open gardens is to engender community spirit and to raise funds for the Village Hall and Church.

Dave Caudwell is prepared to do the bulk of the organising for the weekend, but certain activities will be the responsibility of a lead person.

Gardens

Agreed to open 12.00 - 6.00 p.m. on both days.

Entrance fee to be £5 per adult, accompanied children free. Entrance programme valid for both days.

Entrance programme: two or three sentences about each garden are useful for the leaflet (garden owners to provide). A simple map showing each numbered garden, toilets, and parking will be designed, which will have the number of visitors who have paid marked on it. A logo, which can also be put on a notice at the entrance to each garden, is attractive - Rita offered to look into St Peter's Tree to see if it was feasible (see suggestion at end of report, courtesy of Joan Peck). Balloons outside are a good way of highlighting each garden.

Risk assessments will be conducted for each garden so that everyone feels reassured that concerns are recognised and potential hazards identified and dealt with or the hazards noted on programmes/at entrance to gardens e.g. ponds.

It is more enjoyable for the visitors if garden owners are available to talk to and welcome people into the garden. If not able to do this all the time then other residents have offered to help.

Insurance - Sheila will check the Village Hall policy to see if a fund raising activity like this is covered. Mary will do the same with the Church policy. It may be necessary to check with other garden schemes how they cover this.

Security - some people may wish to close the curtains of their properties to avoid people looking in at valuables. It is advisable to keep doors locked during the visiting hours. The local community policeman will be asked to come to a future meeting and have a presence over the weekend itself.

No dogs other than Guide dogs. Will provide water and bowls at the car park in case dogs are brought by mistake.

Labels suggested for people involved.

Parking

Adequate parking and flow of traffic is crucial. Adam & Clare Signy (Pettistree Lodge) and Dick & Rita Smith (Church Farm - Uncle Bill's Meadow) offered the use of their fields/entrance ways. Adam suggested an in and out flow system via Walnuts Lane and their driveway. This would be very beneficial as the numbers of cars are unknown. Straw bales will be needed if wet.

The parking will need stewarding; programmes may be sold at the car park (to be considered again at the next meeting). .

Good signage will be crucial.

Disabled parking - can be advertised at:

It was suggested that the yard on Presmere Road might be a possibility for additional parking.

The Village Hall will be booked out for that weekend so that village cars can be parked there if necessary, to free up driveways (Sheila to book).

Toilets

Outside toilets at The Greyhound will be available all weekend.

Church Room disabled access toilet may be finished.

Pettistree Lodge has an outside toilet.

Old Carleford has a toilet in the studio.

Refreshments

The Greyhound will be open all day over the weekend. A BBQ will be run and sandwiches will be available.

Paul has arranged a mini beer festival at The Greyhound, in a marquee on the garden, which is by invitation only (garden programme acceptable).

Maggie & Jeff Hallett will have a marquee on the front lawn of The Laurels, serving tea, coffee, scones and cakes. Donations of cakes and scones will be needed. Agreed to keep these simple and affordable. Help offered by church members. Lead person: Maggie Hallett

Light refreshments & cake stall at Coopers Cottage. Lead person: Mary Chilvers.

Publicity

Radio, BBC Look East (Julie the weather girl), local papers, posters in neighbouring villages, signs on approach roads will be utilised as much as possible.

Small flyers designed for participants to hand out to friends and relatives. Need to get the date booked into people's diaries now. Invite friends/relatives over that weekend as there will be plenty to see and do!

Suggested that John Woods Nursery be contacted to see if they want to do an open weekend at the same time - this would bring in more people.

Supporting Activities

Church decorated with garden flowers. Lead person: Cherry White. Suggested a Pettistree Heritage mini exhibition to support this (raise at next committee meeting).

Bellringing. Teams from other parishes to be invited to ring over the weekend. Ring at 12.00 noon both days to start the proceedings. Lead person: Mary Garner.

Book stall. Rogues Cottage. Lead person: Dave Caudwell.

Plant stall. Burways. Lead person: Mike Watts.

Morris dancers - two troupes invited over the weekend. Will dance at The Greyhound and may move around the village. Lead person: Paul Whayman / John Ballance.

Museum open at Coopers Cottage (tools, implements, tractors). Also thatching demonstration. Separate charge suggested for this of £1. Lead person: Roger Chilvers.

Other Comments

Contact emailing list to be set up by Cath to circulate reports etc. Dave will request mobile numbers to add to home numbers, so that he can deal with queries over the weekend.

Friday 26 June, evening, to be set aside for garden owners to visit each others' gardens, culminating with a BBQ at Rogues Cottage.

Next meeting: Monday 2 March, 8.30pm, at the Greyhound.

Thank you for coming along and offering your gardens for others to share. A special thank you to those offering additional activities and parking. Also to Paul & Margie for the use of the Greyhound room.

Contacts: