The fourth annual “Friends and Neighbours Garden Tour” was held June 11th and 12th, 2016. It is a major fundraiser for the Halfmoon Bay branch of the Sunshine Coast Healthcare Auxiliary.
228 two-day passports were sold and in spite of a few showers, it was a very successful two day event.
Nine beautiful gardens, many augmented by local artists and/or musicians were involved. Our garden hosts had obviously been very busy making their gardens look their best and those touring made positive comments about the diversity and creativity of all the gardens. Many gardeners had adapted to challenging terrain and must contend with our perennial companions the local deer and ocean winds. The tour covered several very different areas – The Shores, West Sechelt, Halfmoon Bay and Secret Cove.
At each garden, visitors were encouraged to asked questions of the gardeners and often could see “before and after” pictures. They also entered for a chance to win one of 12 “Door prizes” donated by local businesses. The Auxiliary greeters at the Botanical Gardens provided refreshments and the Halfmoon Bay Café donated free coffee and sweets to passport holders.
Our final tally is not yet in but we anticipate raising more than $4000 to support healthcare on the Coast. Our artists all very generously donate a portion of their sales to our total.
We owe a very big “Thank you” to all our Garden Hosts, Artists, Musicians, Sponsors and our branch members for their hard work and support.
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