The Glenfinart Walled Garden project is today £1000+ richer, thanks to the generosity of the Cowal community and the hard work by a small group of volunteers who organised last Saturday’s Auction at the Burgh Hall, Dunoon. Bidders were presented with a wide range of donated items, from garden gnomes, sports gear and autographed memorabilia to a spot on Dunoon’s Community Radio. The keenest bidding of the day was for a Saltire flag signed by members of the Scottish Parliament which went for £65.

Lynn Kerr, who organised the event for Ardentinny Community Trust, said “We are very grateful to the locals and wider community who continue to support Glenfinart Walled Garden. While further development of the garden is ongoing, we also need to focus our attention on restoring the Grade 2 listed wall. Therefore, the success of the auction and the income generated is a big help. I would like to thank all those who attended and participated in the bidding, as well as our supporters for their generosity in donating goods. I would also like to give a special thanks to all those who helped on the day, especially our excellent auctioneer Jimmy Gordon and Babs Marshall who demonstrated the items so ably!”.

Glenfinart Walled Garden is open to the public every Monday, Wednesday and  Saturday 10:00 until 15:00. Entry is free.

The final few items have been added to the Glenfinart Walled Garden Auction which takes place this Saturday in the Burgh Hall, Dunoon. Bidding starts at 2pm with viewing at 1pm. For a list and photographs of the lots for sale, see Glenfinart Walled Garden Facebook page.

With the very successful Beechgrove Garden project now behind them and with a beautiful Sensory Garden to show for all their hard work, Glenfinart Walled Garden volunteers and Ardentinny Community Trust committee are gearing up for two important events this month. The first, a fundraising auction in aid of the Garden takes place in Dunoon’s Burgh Hall on Saturday 14 September at 2pm (viewing at 1pm).

This week Lynn, Anna and Ian have been busily collecting donations of new and nearly new items from folks and businesses throughout Cowal. They even managed to fit in a quick half-hour guest appearance on Dunoon Community Radio, where they extolled the virtues of our imaginative community project to the radio station’s growing number of listeners worldwide.

Saturday’s auction will also feature a bottle stall, so now’s the time to get that Hogmanay tipple in (after all, it’s only 115 days away!) and help a good cause at the same time. For a partial list of the auction goodies on offer, see Glenfinart Walled Garden Facebook page. More items are being added daily.

Later in the month, Ardentinny Community Trust will hold its Annual General Meeting at the Village Hall. It’s been a memorable year for the Trust. So much has been accomplished by the small but dedicated team. Who would have imagined that in the short time since the garden was acquired for the community from Forestry Commission Scotland, a productive vegetable garden, an orchard, and an amazing children’s area have been estabished along with the creation of the Beechgrove Sensory Garden, for which the Trust has received rave reviews from its now steady stream of visitors.

Ardentinny Community Trust is aiming to build on this success. If you feel that you would like to offer your time and expertise to help take this project forward, then why not get in touch via email or by phone on 810238 or 810220.

Ardentinny Community Trust Newsletter 20 August, 2013.