When The Grounds Opened
Throughout August, Missenden Abbey hosted seven ‘Our Grounds are Open’ days where the public were invited to enjoy our 10 acres of stunning land with BBQ food, hot and cold refreshments, pitch & putt alongside some funfair amusements. The team wanted to give families something different to do as we slowly came out of lockdown into a new normality.
Whilst the Abbey was closed, the team worked together, handcrafting the fairy scenes which made up a fairy community within our grounds. This was available for the families to explore during their visit. We had also created an activity pack for children to do as they walked through the trail and also had some fairy dust and ribbons for the wishing tree to purchase on the day!
All funds raised from the fairy woodland, food, drink and pitch & putt sales were donated to the Walled Garden Charity. The charity is located within our grounds and provides day support for adults with mental health issues and disabilities. Their staff and volunteers help their members grow and reach their potential at their own pace. Together, they look after the grounds of Missenden Abbey, making sure it looks beautiful all year round! We chose to raise the money and donate it to them following the pressure from lockdown, and we are pleased to announce that altogether we raised £500!
The ‘Our Grounds are Open’ days were very well received by the families who attended. It was a free but ticketed day so we could ensure that we were following social distancing measures and keeping guests and staff safe. We had a certain number of people every two hours from 10am-4pm; and even on the rainy days we had several families arrive in wellies and waterproofs!
It was lovely to see families and children enjoying the grounds of Missenden Abbey and the fairy community, created by our staff, whatever the weather! We are pleased that we have had the opportunity to support the Walled Garden Charity, which will help them continue with the amazing work that they do!
Annabel Openshaw
Head to our ‘What’s On’ page to see what other events we have coming up at the Abbey.