Lancashire’s own tulip festival blooms for charity

Hundreds of tulip fans descended on plant nursery Brighter Blooms in Gillibrand Street, Walton-le-Dale, for the weekend event, which was hosted by nursery proprietor Matthew Smith and his wife.

Matthew, who grows flowers, vegetables and fruit bushes which he then sells to the public via garden shows nationwide, showcased more 60 varieties of tulips in a rainbow of colours, arranged to different settings.

Visitors were invited to linger among the tulips and enjoy hot drinks and home-made cakes, which were sold and served by a team of volunteers from the two benefitting charities, Rosemere Cancer Foundation and Fundatia Motivation Romania. The volunteers also ran a raffle.

Other attractions included much enjoyed performances by Preston People’s Choir, a talk by Don Billington from Every Picture Tells a Story on exotic plant species bromeliads, fruit tree grafting demonstrations, an information stand by members of the Hardy Plant Society North West Region and pizza by Char de Feu, a local pop up pizzeria.

Rosemere Cancer Foundation works to bring world class cancer treatments and services to cancer patients from throughout Lancashire and South Cumbria being treated at Rosemere Cancer Centre, the region’s specialist cancer treatment and radiotherapy centre at the Royal Preston Hospital, and at another eight local hospital cancer units across the two counties, including that at Chorley and South Ribble Hospital.

The charity funds cutting-edge equipment, clinical research, staff training and innovative services and initiatives that the NHS cannot afford in order to make patients’ cancer journey more effective, comfortable and stress-free. For further information on its work, including how to make a donation, visit www.rosemere.org.uk

Fundatia Motivation Romania supplies wheelchairs, mobility aids and independent living training to adults and children in Romania.