SOME 125 people braved the heat at J W Blooms Cut Flower Nursery in Hillcommon to raise funds for Grow For Syria, a project Hestercombe Gardens head gardener Claire Greenslade set up.

A Gardeners’ Question Time-style panel answered questions from guests, followed by a walk around the flower nursery and lunch prepared by Katie Venner of Tracebridge Sourdough & Fermenteria.

More than £2,000 was raised through ticket sales, coffee and cake sales, a raffle of prizes given by local businesses and plant sales, with all proceeds going to Help Refugees UK.

Jan Waters of J W Blooms said: “Generous guests even gave donations to escape the heat and sit in our walk-in fridge.”

Generous donations from local businesses and the panel helped make the event a success. The panel included Claire Greenslade; James Cross, head gardener at the Bishop’s Palace, Wells; Sara Venn, founder of Incredible Edible in Bristol; Ashley Wheeler, market gardener at Trill Farm Garden, and Jan Waters, grower and florist at J W Blooms.