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Garden Party?

Last post 11-06-2009 10:03 PM by Digger. 5 replies.

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  • 09/06/2009 12:15 PM
    • Jeffknowles
    • London
    • 09 Jun 2009
    • 1
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    Has anyone held a garden party for charity recently? I'm going to hold one in my (relatively modest sized) garden if the weather holds out for the British Skin Foundation. My neighbour and I wanted to know if there were any tips about what we should do as we'd like to raise as much money as possible for those guys - how much to charge, if we need to bake cakes, that kind of thing! Much appreciated!

  • 09/06/2009 01:34 PM
    • Digger
    • Northern UK
    • 18 Jul 2005
    • 4,743
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    What a noble cause you need to bake cakes and biscuits, make sure they taste really good, sell a slice of cake with a cup of tea or coffee for a quid then if people like the cake they will buy one to take home, the same is with biscuits, charge two quid to get in and give everyone a free tea or coffee, have some cans of cold drinks for sale, and most importantly have lots of plants for sale if possible some of the ones you have in your garden and some others as well, see if you can get someone famous or well known to turn up and then charge people a fiver to have their picture taken with them

    digger Devil
  • 09/06/2009 06:35 PM
    • Phot's-Moll
    • The sunny South coast.
    • 06 Jan 2007
    • 3,347
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    I agree with Digger that home made cakes are a must - I can only get OH to take me to see gardens if there will be homemade cakes on offer. Plants for sale are great too. I love buying plants as a reminder of a nice day out and it's great to see them growing in the garden first to get an idea of how they'll look. The local celebrity is a great idea if you can find one. Is there anyone with a talent (singing, juggling etc) who could entertain people?

    You could have a sale of gardening stuff too - second hand books, pots, tools etc Do any of the people involved grow veg? If so sell surplus runner beans etc. Maybe you could sell bunches of herbs or even flowers?

    Are there other people in the area with nice gardens? If you can have several gardens for people to look round then you'll keep them longer and be more likely to sell them more tea and other things.

    Contact the local paper and radio - as it's a charity they will probably give you a mention for free which will attract more people. Have a raffle and ask local businesses to give prizes - many bigger shops have a charity budget and can give small items of stock, such as a bottle of wine, to this sort of thing.

    Whether you think you can do a thing, or think you cannot, you are right.
  • 09/06/2009 06:43 PM
    • Digger
    • Northern UK
    • 18 Jul 2005
    • 4,743
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    As jeffKnowles lives in London it should be easy to find someone famous or an entertainer, I saw Lisa Stansfield in London she is famous, but she was at the Albert Hall, I don't think she is still in London now.

    digger Devil
  • 09/06/2009 07:25 PM
    • bigsusan55
    • North-West London
    • 14 May 2009
    • 144
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    Have bags for plants - people buy more that way.

    Put out some "Garden Party this Way" signs around local roads, if you are at all difficult to find.  However, don't do that if you are only inviting specific people.

    Think about parking when deciding on the day.

    Have a gazebo for shade (particularly as it is in aid of Skin Foundation!) or shelter if it rains, but don't spoil the look of your garden.

    Borrow some chairs and tables from friends.  The longer people stay then the more they will buy.

    Elderflower cordial diluted with sparkling water goes down well on a hot day; if you are quick you might be able to make some - it's much cheaper than buying and tastes better. Depending on the crowd and the time of day, elderflower cordial mixes very well with a drier white wine and sparkling water and you can charge more than wine on its own.  Call it something fancy.

    Try and make a toilet available, but not at the cost of making your home insecure.  Lock all other rooms if possible (sorry to be a miserable so and so!) or have a lot of people who know who should be in the house and who shouldn't.

    Barricade any plants that you DON'T want to sell.  People seem to think that it's OK to root in your greenhouse and extract things, unless specifically told not to.

    Heigh-ho; perhaps they are an uncivilised lot in North-West London?

    Organise the weather!

    Enjoy

    Susan B

     

  • 11/06/2009 10:03 PM
    • Digger
    • Northern UK
    • 18 Jul 2005
    • 4,743
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    Will you not need an intoxicating liquor licence to sell glasses of wine to the public?? and elderflower isn't for everyone's taste... I think it tastes like bad medicine Ick! gross

    digger Devil