Walking for Charity and for Pleasure...Spring is finally here!

This month I learnt some very difficult news, that one of my dear friends had been diagnosed with late stage Ovarian Cancer. I then subsequently learnt from another lovely friend in the same week, that this month she was taking part in a ‘Walk in Her Name’ fundraiser for the ‘Ovarian Cancer Action Charity’, so I signed myself up to join her, and walk 100km to raise some much-needed funds.

Ovarian Cancer

Every March is ‘Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month’, so I thought it timely to write this months blog about this, to hopefully raise awareness, as well as share some of the lovely places I have visited, to get my steps in for the fundraiser. I didn’t realise until this month, that it is so incredibly hard to diagnose this type of cancer, as it is not picked up through our regular cervical screening tests, and because the symptoms can often be put down to many other things.

Take a look at this months London Underground service information board below, to understand more about the symptoms of this type of cancer, and when you should consider visiting your GP for a check. Currently only 3 in 10 women diagnosed with ovarian cancer live beyond 10 years, and there is 7500 women receiving a diagnosis in the UK each year. If you would like to know more about this charity, their website is: https://www.ovarian.org.uk.

If you would like to donate a few pennies during this last week of my fundraising, and help me to get through my last 20km, the link is:

https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/Lisa1740301353789

* £5 could support life-saving awareness campaigns to see more women getting diagnosed early.
* £10 could buy the nutrients to grow cancer cells to find new treatments, or will educate hundreds of health-care professionals about the complexities of ovarian cancer.
* £15 will support the charitys researchers with the tools they need to build the next breakthrough.
* £20 will fund their researchers developing ground-breaking treatments at the Ovarian Cancer Action Research Centre.
* £25 could support a scientist to use a powerful microscope.
* £50 could buy a chemical that stops cancer cells growing.

The charity set us all a target of £200 as a starting point – I’m at £348 currently (thanks to the 19 wonderful folk that have sponsored me so far), so I would love to double their target and get to £400 by the end of the month if I can!

Spring is in the Air!

I have definitely got my money’s worth from my National Trust membership this month! It is £8.29 a month for a single persons membership. I have visited 6 properties so far this month, which would have cost me £106.50 for standard adult entry otherwise! That’s a fantastic saving! And I’ll probably manage to fit another 1 or 2 in before the end of the month too. For just over £2 a week, I can roam around all these beautiful places as many times in a month as I can manage! You can view all of the properties below (and so many more!) at the website: www.nationaltrust.org.uk. I find walking in nature to be the very best medicine, and crucial to keeping my mental health in check.

March saw me start my fundraising steps at the lovely Polesden Lacey, just a five minute drive or short stroll from my parents in Bookham where I am currently living. I used to work there years ago in the school holidays, and have visited many times, but I always enjoy it, and feel very lucky to have it on our doorstep.

Polesden Lacey is a 1,600-acre estate with elegant gardens, including a lovely Rose Garden, and the Graham Stuart Thomas-inspired Winter Garden. It also has a beautiful Edwardian House, that houses Margaret Grevilles extensive collection of paintings, ceramics and fine French furniture. There is a pocket of ancient woodland, famous ‘Long Walk’ and ‘Nun’s Walk’, and it boasts rolling downland with a gorgeous view over the Surrey Hills, and wildlife habitats that are home to rare birds and butterflies.

Next I went off to explore The Vyne, which is in Sherborne St John near Basingstoke. I’d not been there before, so it was really nice to go somewhere new to me, whilst getting a lovely long walk in, and learning about the property and grounds surrounding it. Have to say the volunteers working here were probably the most helpful I’ve ever experienced! Lovely people, and a lovely place to visit.

The Vyne is a former Tudor powerhouse turned 17th-century family home, set in gardens, woodlands and wetlands. It is nationally recognised as a ‘Treasure House’ with a beautiful pre-reformation chapel with stained glass windows, and a Tudor oak gallery. It boasts a neo-classical staircase hall and a 17th-century sketch by Giovanni Francesco Barbieri. There is a 17th-century summerhouse, and a 600 year old oak tree, as well as a walled garden and orchard. The beautiful lakeside path offers lovely views of the house. There is a sprawling ancient woodland and bird hide that overlooks the stunning wetlands.

Petworth House and Park in Petworth were next on my list, which I visited with my lovely friend Ann. We also went to the Deer Park afterwards, so got a really good walk in that day! I love it here – I have visited many, many times, and always spend a whole day exploring, first going to the house, lovely mid 18th-century historic kitchen rooms, the surrounding gardens and lake, and then going on further, to see all the beautiful deers in the Deer Park.

Petworth is a magnificent 17th-century house displaying one of the finest art collections in the care of the National Trust, including works by Van Dyck, Turner and Gainsborough, all nestled in a 700-acre Deer Park. ‘Capability Brown’ designed Petworths Pleasure Garden in the 18th-century, with serpentine paths, formal beds, a woodland walk, Ionic Rotunda and Doric Temple. He also designed the Deer Park, with wonderful views of the south downs, with fallow deer, woodlands and two lakes.

Then it was off to Wakehurst Botanical Garden next in Ardingly, near Haywards Heath. Wakehurst is linked with Kew Gardens as part of the ‘Royal Botanical Gardens’. National Trust members can get in for free, but you just have to pay for parking (not cheap but worth it). I’d not been to Wakehurst for a long time, so it was lovely to go back and see what was new.

Wakehurst is a wild botanical garden and home to the Millenium Seed Bank, with over 500 acres of diverse landscapes, with exotic trees and woodland plants from right across the globe. It has ‘Mansion Pond’ which is a perfect spot in the heart of the gardens to rest and reflect, and ‘The Slips and Black Pond’ where you can explore the boardwalks to discover aquatic plants on the way to the serene pond. Other areas to explore here are the Bog Garden, Coates Wood, Coronation Meadow, Hanging Meadow, Himalayan Glade, Horsebridge Wood, and the beautiful Iris Dell.

Standen House and Gardens in East Grinstead was next! This is an arts and crafts family home with Morris & Co interiors, set in a beautiful hillside garden. I’d not been here for a while, so it was lovely to revisit and experience the amazing views this place offers its visitors.

The house here has some wonderful examples of the Morris patterns and workmanship from that time. It has a hillside garden for all seasons, with an award-winning plant collection and stunning views across the Sussex countryside. This property features an orchard, a kitchen garden and a rosery. Footpaths from the estate also lead to High Weald woodland and the Ashdown Forest.

Then yesterday, I went to Nymans in Handcross, near Haywards Heath with my lovely friends Steve and Roz (who was the lady that introduced me to the charity fundraiser). I absolutely love this property – there is definitely some magic there! It is described as a ‘garden lovers’ home for all seasons’ with an extensive yet intimate garden, set around a romantic house and ruins.

Nymans is a convincing creation of a medieval manor house, remodelled in the 1920s and now a partial ruin. It has a grade II listed garden, with rare and unusual plant collections with beautiful views across the Sussex Weald, and a lovely small gallery with a changing programme of exhibitions throughout the year. Nymans also has an ancient woodland, with an industrial past, featuring a lake, cascade and bird hides, a romantic Loggia and surrounding Sunken Garden. Occasionally on certain days, they also open their ‘Garden in the Ruins’ which is just a lovely addition.

As well as visiting all the wonderful National Trust properties this month, one afternoon I also had a wander around the beautiful Denbies Wine Estate, in Dorking. You can find out more about them at: www.denbies.co.uk.

Denbies is one of England’s largest single estate vineyards, independently owned and run, comprising of 380 acres (265 acres currently under vine), with a production capacity of 1 million bottles. A stunning place to explore, with a lovely shop, restaurant, tours, hotel and much, much more.

I also found myself wandering into two beautiful churches this month during my walks. The first was in Holmbury St. Mary just down the road from my gorgeous new treatment space. It really is a beautiful place.

The next was in Ewhurst, where I was house and cat sitting for a friend and client this month. I love churches – they are always so picturesque and so very peaceful. I don’t go to church regularly, but I do find them to be wonderful places for quiet contemplation.