VILLAGERS welcomed visitors to their gardens in the name of charity – raising more than £2,000 for a good cause.

A dozen gardens in Stour Row, along two miles of the village, were open to visitors on May 27 and 28 and raised money for the Vale Pantry.

And villagers said they welcomed a record number of people keen to view an array of planting, wild areas and ponds.

The main hub of the event was held in the Village Hall, with a team selling tickets and providing a range of tea and cakes.

Organiser Sarah Panton surprised Carole Jones of the Vale Pantry with news the event had raised a total of £2,167 for the cause.

“What a wonderful surprise to have this amount of money donated to our Pantry,” Carole said.

READ MORE: How the Vale Pantry puts food on the table

“We keep thinking we simply can’t get any busier with the demand for help coming constantly, but daily more calls come in from people in need, statutory services, social prescribers and more – and honestly we need every penny to help do what we do.

“Feeding more than 360 families is jolly expensive, so a donation like this makes a huge difference and we are so very grateful to the wonderful gardeners of Stour Row.”