'It's precious to open our garden', say award-winners

11 hours ago

Georgie Dockerand

Claire Bryan,North West

David Hines and Liz Kelly-Hines have been recognised by the National Garden Scheme after 10 years opening their Hale Village garden

BBC An older couple, one female and one male, David and Liz. They stand in front of an archway made of pink rose bushes. Liz has cropped grey hair and wears a floral blouse with glasses on a chain around her neck. David wears a checked shirt and dark body warmer. He wears clear glasses and has fine grey hair. Both smile. — David Hines and Liz Kelly-Hines have been recognised by the National Garden Scheme after 10 years opening their Hale Village garden

A couple have been recognised with a national gardening award after a decade of opening their garden to the public.

David Hines and Liz Kelly-Hines from Halton, in Cheshire, have been awarded a National Garden Scheme (NGS) award in recognition of their support of the scheme.

Under the NGS, more than 3,500 private gardens are opened to the public each year to raise money for charity.

To mark their 10th year in the scheme, David and Liz have been presented with a certificate from the NGS - along with an engraved trowel. Ahead of their garden opening on Saturday, Liz told BBC Radio Merseyside: "We are hoping for sun and people to come and enjoy all NGS gardens."

"The lovely thing about the NGS ethos is you're not expected to present a show garden, you're simply sharing your delight in your garden," David told Radio Merseyside. "It is precious, it's beautiful, it's delightful and it's lovely to share."

Since the NGS began in 1927, thousands of private UK gardens like David and Liz's (pictured above) have been opened to the public each year

David Hines/Liz Kelly-Hines Large garden with lots of bright pink, purple and blue flowers in the foreground. The flowers are of all different varieties and there is a very neat lawn with a statue in the middle of it in the distance - behind an archway of pink roses. — Since the NGS began in 1927, thousands of private UK gardens like David and Liz's (pictured above) have been opened to the public each year

From individuals to community groups, the NGS application process is open to all - with the chosen gardens then opened to the public between April to September, in exchange for a charitable donation, averaging at £16.37 for adults.

Through the collection of entry fees and the sale of tea, cakes and plants, the scheme has so far raised more than £77.8 million for nursing and health charities - including Macmillan Cancer Support, Marie Curie, Hospice UK, Parkinson's UK, Carers Trust and The Queen's Institute of Community Nursing.

David said his garden is designed with both 'open space and nice little areas to hide and reflect in'

David Hines/Liz Kelly-Hines A large stone paved garden area with lots of colourful greenery and landscaped bushes. — David said his garden is designed with both 'open space and nice little areas to hide and reflect in'

David and Liz have been keen gardeners for many years - with David describing Liz as the "creative genius" behind their shared passion project.

"All the new ideas come from Liz," he said. "Especially in the middle of the night when she has the next project."

Liz described their garden as "a country garden with lots of variety".

"We aim to have something all year around so we go for structure as well as colour and fragrance," she said. "It's the goodness of God to us to have a nice garden to enjoy."

She said that visitors in previous years have remarked on the tranquility of the garden. "They say they 'love the sense of peace the garden brings'."

David and Liz also have a vegetable section at the bottom of their garden

David Hines/Liz Kelly-Hines A large, well pruned vegetable patch with several different beds of soil all with different plants growing within. Some plants are protected by wire caging and others are tall and supported by sticks. — David and Liz also have a vegetable section at the bottom of their garden

The couple will be opening their garden on Saturday and Sunday - with the help of friends and other NGS members.

"It's a team effort," Liz explained. "We have a team in the kitchen, a team doing teas, cakes.

And there will be little chance for the pair to rest when the weekend is over.

"There will still be loads of pruning to do and preparing for the later season of the year so it doesn't stop," Liz said.

"A constant job but a beautiful one nonetheless," she added.

David and Liz said they were presented with a "very useful" stainless steel engraved trowel by the NGS

David Hines/Liz Kelly-Hines A steel trowel engraved with the words: 'With thanks from the National Garden Scheme for 10 years of support'. — David and Liz said they were presented with a "very useful" stainless steel engraved trowel by the NGS

NGS CEO Dr Richard Claxton said: "We're hugely proud, and very privileged, to have garden owners like David and Liz supporting the National Garden Scheme.

"It is the consistency and generosity of support from people like them which has made the National Garden Scheme such a success."

David and Liz said their garden is one of four local NGS gardens to be opening in their area this season

David and Liz stood on a large mown lawn with bushes and trees in the background - arranged in a landscaped fashion. At their feet is a small border terrier. — David and Liz said their garden is one of four local NGS gardens to be opening in their area this season

According to the most recent report by the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), gardening in the UK is facing challenges - with horticultural skills on the decline and unequal access to gardening spaces.

Despite these pressures, the 2025 report also stated that just under half of community gardening groups had seen an increased number of volunteers in the last 12 months - with 14.7 million adults in the UK interested in volunteering.

This apparent appetite for gardening looks to be reflected within the open garden scheme too - with the NGS reporting its largest charitable collection to date in the 2025 season - with a total of £3.9 million raised.

On the NGS' enduring success, CEO Claxon added: "Despite the passing of 100 years, little has changed to our enduring love of gardens in this country."

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