THE popular open gardens event at Tudor Croft, Guisborough, have had another record year.

The setting consists of five immaculate acres which are home to plants from all over the world. They were open in February for people to enjoy the collection of more than 300 different snowdrops, and this summer the gardens were open once again over four days.

The openings raised a total of £10,300 for national nursing charities such as Marie Curie and Macmillan, and local charities including Kids Kabin, which works with young people in Middlesbrough.

Funds were also made available for young people to experience working with infirm pilgrims as helpers in Lourdes, France.

In opening the gardens over the most recent four days, the event was blessed with fine weather and visitors were able to picnic on the lawns to enjoy the surroundings and, on the last day, listen to local singer, Charlotte Potter, who now trains at the Guildhall School of Music in London.

Mike Heagney, who gardens at Tudor Croft, said: “I would like to thank all of our gardeners and volunteers, who work so hard preparing the gardens for our visitors to enjoy, Charlotte Potter, the Odell Singers, our musicians and also, of course, our visitors without whom the charities would not benefit.

"Artist James McGairy generously created two paintings of the gardens which were won by green ticket 561 and blue ticket 931. All in all, it has been a happy and very successful year at Tudor Croft, the 70th year we have lived here. Next year we hope to do it all over again.”