Cherry Tree Fundraiser raises over £4,000 for Furzey Gardens

14 February 2024 

A January fundraiser has raised over £4,000 for Furzey Gardens’ new cherry tree grove.  

A horticultural fundraising campaign has raised over £4,000 for a New Forest garden to plant a cherry tree grove.

The grove in Furzey Gardens near Minstead will see 25 new cherry trees planted in the arboretum in the lower half of the gardens, establishing a special, peaceful new area.

The grove will bring new horticultural attraction to the gardens, blossoming in early spring, and providing the area with beautiful pink and white flowers.

The gardens are part of Minstead Trust, a charity that supports more than 300 people with learning disabilities along the south coast from Poole to Portsmouth.

With donated funds almost doubling the initial target, support from Furzey visitors exceeded all expectations. The extra fund will means a beautiful bench can be placed in the area, so visitors can relax and get away from a busy world.

During the three week fundraiser, donors could pick from various reward levels, choosing to leave a lasting legacy by having their name on a special plaque, or remembering a loved one by sponsoring one of the trees. Wonderful memories were shared, with some donors choosing to take a moment to remember their late husbands or children.

The cherry tree grove will also provide new opportunities to the people with learning disabilities who are supported to work in the gardens.  There will be opportunities to learn new skills and knowledge about planting and caring for young trees. Being outside and in nature is a big part of the benefits that people we support gain by working at Furzey, and now they have the chance to learn new cognitive and physical skills too.

Matt, who is supported in the gardens is looking forward to spring and seeing the flowers start to bloom, and visitors start to come back to the gardens. Jason loves mulching and is excited about the prospect of mulching this new area.

Andrew Bentley, Estates Manager has said: ‘The cherry tree grove is somewhere that people can come and relax, enjoy the trees, enjoy the tranquillity and hopefully come back through the seasons and see how it develops.’

With many benefits to wildlife and the gardens, the cherry tree grove will be a tranquil and calm area that will invite many visitors to the garden to stop and reflect for many decades to come.

Find out more about Furzey Gardens at www.furzey-gardens.org and see the dedications here.