Furzey Gardens’ Artists’ Fairy Doors auction to raise money for people with learning disabilities

18 September 2023

Furzey Gardens’ Artists’ Fairy Doors auction to raise money for people with learning disabilities.

Furzey Gardens in Minstead is auctioning off 30 four-foot fairy doors this month after a successful summer trail came to an end.

Each door is bespoke and designed by a local artist or group. The doors include designs featuring mermaids, dragons and outer-space, and thrilled thousands of visitors throughout the summer at the gardens.

Now, the doors can be bid for online until 30 September, with a reserve price of just £75 each. Funds raised will be used to support people with learning disabilities by Minstead Trust, the charity that runs Furzey Gardens.

Minstead Trust supports over 300 people with learning disabilities along the south coast from Poole to Portsmouth to live more independent lives.

The Artists’ Fairy Doors trail attracted over 15,000 visitors to the gardens over the summer, as people enjoyed searching for the doors while enjoying the tranquillity and rare plants of this secret woodland garden.

The doors themselves had been built with the help of people with learning disabilities in the woodwork workshop at Minstead Lodge, the headquarters of Minstead Trust just five minutes from Furzey Gardens. Three of the doors were also designed and decorated by people supported by the Trust, who used their skills and ingenuity to produce stunning pieces of art.

The trail was kindly supported by Beaumont Water Heaters, Fostering Hampshire Children and 20 other individual door sponsors.

If you’d like to seize the opportunity to make one of the doors your own, you can bid now by visiting www.jumblebee.co.uk/artistsfairydoorsauction