More than 500 visitors to Histon Manor last Saturday were treated to carpets of snowdrops and a first glimpse of the new Monet-style bridge recently installed over to the island.
Owners Katherine and Rob Mann had originally offered free tickets to 200 visitors to walk around the grounds in addition to 100 tickets for tea and cake in the main kitchen.
But they were so moved by news of the earthquake in Syria and Turkey that they opened the grounds to all to walk around, in a fundraising effort for disaster relief.
Proceeds from the tea and cake tickets bought prior to the earthquake were allocated to HI Friends, with £577 going to support the Holiday at Home initiative and the Community Play Therapist, who mainly works with children in the village primary schools. Donations on the day, collected in a bucket at the entrance, totalled an astounding £1,842.58, which Katherine and Rob are matching, so £3,685.16 has been transferred to the DEC Earthquake Appeal.
A team of volunteers helped in the grounds and kitchen, and a dozen bakers produced a spread of cakes for the guests. Katherine paid tribute to their efforts, saying: “This event wouldn’t have been possible without the team of volunteers and cake bakers. A huge thank you to all.”
She continued: “We cannot thank everyone enough for being so generous. We are so glad that everyone enjoyed the day and the comments about the snowdrops were heart-warming. It has spurred us on to keep working on removing the ivy in these areas so that hopefully even more will come through for next year! A date for next year’s event will be announced in early January 2024.”