The National Gardens Scheme, http://www.ngs.org.uk was founded in 1927 in England with the aim of "opening gardens of quality, character and interest to the public for charity". Originally, the money was raised to provide pension support for district nurses; 609 private gardens were opened and £8,191 was raised.

Over time, other charities were included in the scheme. In 1948, the new National Health Service

National Health Service

The National Health Service is the shared name of three of the four publicly funded healthcare systems in the United Kingdom. They provide a comprehensive range of health services, the vast majority of which are free at the point of use to residents of the United Kingdom...

 took over the paying of pensions to district nurse

District nurse

District Nurses are senior nurses who manage care within the community, leading teams of community nurses and support workers. Typically much of their work involves visiting house-bound patients to provide advice and care, for example, palliative care, wound management, catheter and continence...

s, and in 1980, the National Gardens Scheme Charitable Trust was launched, with Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother

Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon

Elizabeth Angela Marguerite Bowes-Lyon was the queen consort of King George VI from 1936 until her husband's death in 1952, after which she was known as Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, to avoid confusion with her daughter, Queen Elizabeth II...

 as patron. The current patron is Charles, Prince of Wales

Charles, Prince of Wales

Prince Charles, Prince of Wales is the heir apparent and eldest son of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. Since 1958 his major title has been His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales. In Scotland he is additionally known as The Duke of Rothesay...

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The gardens open to the public under the scheme are listed each year in publication called "The Yellow Book". The scheme has raised over £40 million since it began, and over half a million garden visits occur each year.

The National Gardens Scheme is featured in a Twofour

Twofour

Twofour is a UK independent media group that was founded in 1988 by Charles Wace, a former TV news producer and brother of financier Ian Wace. It has grown to become one of the largest independent media groups in the UK, employing over 350 people internationally....

 produced BBC2 programme Open Gardens

Open Gardens

Open Gardens was a BBC Two gardening programme presented by plantswoman and writer Carol Klein. It was produced by Twofour and was aired in 2006 and again in 2007-Programme Details:...

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External links

• http://www.ngs.org.uk
• Garden events finder