On Sunday 26 February, Sir John White kindly agreed to open up the grounds of Salle Park Estate to allow visitors to enjoy a snowdrop walk to raise money for the Alzheimer’s Society.
Despite the preceding week being windy and wet, courtesy of Storm Doris, Sunday morning proved to be a crisp, early spring day with only a brisk breeze in evidence.
More than 250 people from far and wide took advantage of the opportunity to see the beautiful grounds and splendid flora of the estate. According to many visitors, the highlight of the day was the spectacular walk along the main drive to the house, with a multitude of various types of snowdrops and aconites carpeting the walkways on both sides.
The walk concluded with refreshments in the newly-refurbished orangery, where visitors were offered a sumptuous array of delicious cakes and scones that had been donated by the women of Salle, various businesses in Reepham and surrounding villages, and four massive tray bakes of lemon drizzle and coffee and walnut cakes courtesy of H.V. Graves of Briston. A raffle was also held in the orangery with prizes donated by local residents and businesses.
The event was organised by Salle resident Fiona Owen, who was assisted by many volunteers from the local community and staff from the estate. The day proved to be an amazing success, and a total of £1,744.42 was raised for the Alzheimer’s Society.
Mrs Owen said: “I was delighted to see so many people turning up on the day. The weather held out for us and we had a steady stream of visitors from beginning to end. I was overwhelmed by the donations of cakes and the support I was given by so many people to make the event a success.
“I would especially like to thank Sir John for allowing this event to take place. I am very touched by his support and for allowing me to use the estate to raise the money for this worthy cause. I would also like give a special thank-you to the head gardener of the estate, who made a lot of the behind-the-scenes arrangements and enabled the day to run smoothly.
“And, finally, I would like to thank all the ladies who made the day possible; without their assistance I would not have been able to cope. It was a very special day where we all worked as a team and raised a massive, and unexpected, amount for a very worthy cause.”
Mrs Owen was due to undertake a walk across the Grand Canyon at the end of March for the Alzheimer’s Society, but owing to personal reasons this has had to be postponed until later in the year. However, her JustGiving page remains open for anyone who wishes to make a donation.
Mrs Owen will continue to organise further events to raise awareness and much needed funds for this cause.
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