MAPPERTON Gardens helped raise money for children’s hospice Julia’s House as a record number of people attended the Charity Plant Fair.

More than 1,200 people came to the Fair on Sunday, April 17, raising a donation of £1,700 for Julia’s House Hospice. It was the largest number of people ever to attend a plant fair at the home of Lord and Lady Sandwich in Beaminster.

Mapperton House is known for its superb gardens which were voted in the top 50 of the UK. Entry to them is now included in the admissions price with a restaurant and gift shop also on site. The gardens are proving to be a hit in the area of Beaminster for plant lovers and those who want a good day out.

Visitors who came to the Charity Plant Fair got the chance to wander round the grounds of the Jacobean manor at a discounted rate.

Admission was just £3 in aid of the charity.

Julia’s House is Dorset’s hospice dedicated to children with life-limiting conditions. The majority of the children that it cares for are unlikely to live beyond the age of 18. The children’s hospice complements the work of the Julia’s House Community Team, which is made up of 90 nurses and carers who provide life-changing support for families in their own homes.

It costs around £2.8m to run Julia’s House, yet the charity receives only a minimal amount of its total annual funding from the government. The rest of the charity’s essential income is raised through the generosity of the Dorset community, corporate partners and charitable foundations.

The charity achieved an outstanding first place in The Sunday Times ‘100 Best Places to Work in the Charity and Public Sectors’ 2011. This rates Julia’s House as the highest ranked organisation in Dorset, and the top charity in the UK. For more information about Julia’s House, please contact 01202 607 400 or visit juliashouse.org