History of the garden club
As far as anyone can remember, it was in the early 1980s that the club was first suggested. It was mid-morning coffee break at Longstock Park and Gardens Manager David Mason was chatting with Peter Bramley and Owen Burtenshaw. Owen remarked that the village hall was losing money as it was not being used enough and David Mason jokingly said “Well, we could start a gardening club!!”. Although everyone laughed, the seeds had been sown in their minds and next day the possibilities emerged.
Before long, it seemed that many Partners from Longstock and Leckford loved the idea and as most of the first fifteen members were Partners, permission was given to start the club under the Partnership ‘umbrella’. Numbers quickly grew and enjoyable monthly meetings were alternated between the villages halls of Longstock and Leckford. David Mason organised day trips and evening visits to other gardens and it all went very well indeed.
After a few years David Mason left for America and David Stuart gallantly took over as Chairman. Happily, we were able to continue as before, but then after a few years David Stuart moved away. The club was now on its own and without its ‘umbrella’.
A committee was formed with each member taking up a position covering all aspects including finding speakers for meetings and organising outings. Luckily, Longstock member Nicholas Tatton Brown agreed to chair the meetings and all went well with garden outings continuing. But then came a sad time, as while working in his own garden, Nicholas died quite suddenly. He was a lovely man and one we will never forget.
After a while Dr. Gareth Evans kindly offered to take on the Chairmanship with the committee continuing as before. Then came March 2020 and COVID 19 took over our lives. The club members were able to enjoy many Zoom meetings in their homes but no outings. At this point in 2021, many of the same restrictions apply and the club continues in the virtual world.
2022
To recap we are
A Garden Club for both experienced and inexperienced gardeners.
At each meeting, there is a guest speaker, a chance to socialise with other gardeners over tea or coffee,
and topical advice from experienced members.
Longstock Garden Club 