West Kington’s gardens opened their doors for the first time since 2010 last Sunday with an open garden afternoon raising funds for the village’s St Mary the Virgin church.

West Kington has a reputation in Wiltshire for some beautiful private gardens, with four garden designers living in the village alongside two landscape gardeners, a specialist topiary nursery, a wholesale plant nursery and many keen flower and vegetable enthusiasts.

The village skipped a year of the usually annual event in 2011, but organiser Ali Paterson said so many people in the area were asking villagers about the gardens, it was decided to open them again.

“We have such a wonderful range of picturesque gardens and very clever gardeners in West Kington; it’s great that we are able to share our good fortune with a wider audience.”

In addition to many wonderful gardens, some terraced, some newly planted and others situated beside the waters of the idyllic Broadmead Brook, there was a photographic exhibition on the village’s history.

Other highlights included homemade cream teas, an impressive plant sale, a village produce stall, an ice cream parlour and a lemonade stand.

Jane Futrell, another organiser of the event, said: “It was brilliant, a really good turnout. People had a really good day and we were blessed with the sunshine.”

Over £4,000 was raised on the day for the church, plus £600 in aid of Wiltshire Air Ambulance from a raffle.