The sun shone, the bunting gently fluttered in the breeze, and the flags flew proudly on the village hall and other houses in the hamlet. Ten gardens were open, seven in Main Street and three at The Waterworks, all different and all beautiful. At Bramble Barn we were treated to ‘Tunes in the Garden’ by a talented group of musicians, and along the grass verge opposite the village hall there was a tombola, plants for sale, and other attractions. At some of the houses there were also jams, jigsaws, and handbags for sale, all donated for charity. The village hall was transformed into a Tea Rooms where delicious home made cakes were available, baked by residents of Milton.

Milton was delighted to welcome over 330 visitors between 1pm and 5pm, a wonderful afternoon which raised a total of £3,134. A donation will be made to support the Milton Community Lunch Club with the bulk of the proceeds going to support the local Air Ambulance Service.

The hamlet of Milton came together to support the event together with friends from outside the village. Thank you to everyone who helped make the event a success and to local businesses who donated plants, flower arrangements for the hall, photography, and sponsorship for the programmes.

Weary but happy Miltonians ended the day with a BBQ in The Swan Beer Garden where surplus cakes were auctioned off with some friendly competition for certain favourites.

The 2019 Event – June 2nd 2019

Milton Open Gardens – Sunday June 2^nd

At total of 14 delightful and diverse gardens were open, eleven along the main street of Milton and a further three at The Waterworks.

With stalls and plants for sale opposite the Village Hall,  the centre of the Village was transformed into an oasis of colour, people, and bunting.

The gardens were much admired, one lady even ringing her husband, who had remained at home, to say you need to come and see these gardens.

The telephone kiosk was transformed into a ‘pop up’ Pub , complete with glamorous mannequin barmaid, and various scarecrows were to be seen lurking around the village.

The Village Hall became a Tea Rooms for the afternoon with the ladies of Milton WI serving tea and delicious home-made cakes.

The sharp shower of rain was unwelcome but undaunted Milton still welcomed 279 visitors, and our resident ‘live’ scarecrow kept everyone in order with her sweeping brush.

Villagers and friends gathered in the evening for a BBQ at The Swan to round off a busy dayand enjoy a well deserved drink and a burger.

The profit of over £2,300 will be split between Derbyshire, Leicestershire and Rutland Air Ambulance, Macmillan Cancer Support and towards the upkeep of Milton Village Hall.

Many thanks to all the visitors who came along, and everyone who helped make the day possible.

The 2018 Event – June 3rd 2018

The 12th Annual Milton Open Gardens.

What can Milton say except Wow! and a huge thank you to everyone who came along or who helped make the day a success in so many different ways.

Milton was proud to welcome 503 visitors, many of them first time visitors, over 5 hours on Sunday June 3^rd.

The sun was shining, bunting flying and 13 amazing gardens, diverse and beautiful, each reflecting  the visions of their owners.  Tea and home-made cakes were served by Milton WI in the Village Hall, and the telephone kiosk decorated to commemorate the centenary of the end of World War 1 and remember those from Milton, Ingleby and Foremarke who lost their lives.

A wonderful afternoon, lovely visitors with everyone in the Village making them feel welcome.  The feedback from the event has been fantastic.

The scarecrows were imaginative and fun, and of course the event would not have been complete without our very own live scarecrow keeping everyone in order with her sweeping brush!

The evening ended with a BBQ in The Swan beer garden where tired but happy Miltonians  and friends,  enjoyed bangers and burgers and maybe a pint or two.

Profits from the event, £4,250, will be split between Derbyshire, Leicestershire and Rutland Air Ambulance and the upkeep of Milton Village Hall.

Milton maybe a small hamlet,  but residents together with the many friends of Milton, make our events special for the local community – thank you to everyone involved, your efforts are very much appreciated.

 The 2017 Event

On Sunday June 4^th Milton was happy to welcome over 380 visitors to Milton Open Gardens.

The rain mainly held off and although at times it was a little chilly the event was very successful with many new visitors and  some very positive comments.

12 gardens were open and the Village Hall was beautifully decorated and provided a perfect setting for the delicious refreshments provided by Milton WI.

Thanks to our visitors, gardeners, and all who helped or supported in so many ways.  The event finished with a BBQ at The Swan which was open to everyone and was very much enjoyed by all.

The event raised over £2,800 which will be split between the Air Ambulance, upkeep of the Village Hall and other Milton charities.

The 2016 Event

The sun shone brightly for Milton Open Gardens on June 6^th and the small hamlet of Milton was pleased to extend a warm welcome to over 430 visitors in 5 hours.

A total of 14 gardens were open, 10 along the Main Street of Milton with a further 4 gardens at The Waterworks. A very diverse range of gardens were on show, from large landscapes to small walled gardens,  each with their own particular charm.

The listed telephone box had a very special scarecrow royal visitor – complete with corgi. Impressive security was provided by Milton’s very own live scarecrow -whilst Liz put in a call to Phil!

The Village hall looked stunning decked out as a floral scarecrow wedding, and the ladies of Milton WI served tea, homemade cakes and scones to thirsty visitors amongst the plants.

Other very imaginative scarecrows were lurking around the village in unexpected places for visitors to spot, and plants were for sale in some of the gardens.

Profits from the event will be divided between funds for the continuing refurbishment of the Village Hall and the purchase of a village defibrillator.

Tired but happy Miltonians and friends ended the day with a village BBQ at The Swan

where we enjoyed good company, good food, and a well earned pint!

Milton would like to thank everyone for their help and support and hope to see you next year.

The 2015 Event  – A record Year!

On Sunday June 7th the sun shone and Milton welcomed over 450 visitors to visit the Annual Open Gardens. Ten gardens were open, including 2 new ones, and the Village Hall was transformed into a garden tea room with grass, plants and a water feature.
The Main Street had a real party feel, complete with bunting, scarecrows – and lots of people walking about with plants purchased from the plant stalls!
Gardens were much admired, new friends made, and tea and home-made cakes appreciatively consumed.
Thank you to everyone attended, opened their garden, helped on the day or made the delicious cakes. The afternoon raised over £3,000 for Village Funds – a fantastic result and a record for Milton.
In the evening tired but happy Miltonians retired to The Swan for a Village BBQ, – a lovely end to a super day

The 2014 event

The sun shone for Open Gardens on Sunday June 8^th (apart from a very brief shower) and the village welcomed over 370 visitors. Visitors were invited to fill in feedback forms and the response both verbal and via the forms was fantastic.

For the first time the event included ‘spot the scarecrows’ with 14 scarecrows,( including one live scarecrow helping to direct traffic). The scarecrows were so convincing that visitors were seen talking to a couple of them!

Thanks to everyone who opened their gardens or who contributed in any way to the success of the day, which raised over £1800 towards upkeep and improvement of the Village Hall.

[envira-gallery id=”742o