The National Garden Scheme: Tuppenny Barn Southbourne

Established in 2005, Tuppenny Barn has grown from a barren hectare of land into a thriving, fully organic smallholding. The 2½ acre site is packed with a wildlife pond, an orchard with heritage top fruit varieties, two solar polytunnels, fruit cages, raised vegetables and cut flower garden. Willow provides natural arches and wind breaks. A bug hotel and beehives support vital pollinators. As a charity, Tuppenny Barn is devoted to educating children and the wider community about healthy food and good environmental practice. By hosting school trips and after-school clubs, adult workshops and open days, they teach people about sustainability, the environment, the origins of their food and how to grow and cook with organic fruit and vegetables. They also run horticulture therapy sessions for vulnerable adults and a Young Carers scheme.

The site has a sustainably built circular building used as the education centre hub. This is a valuable addition to the site for their education programme and is becoming a very popular venue to host wedding receptions, wakes, private functions and corporate events which all help immensely with funds to continue the education and horticulture ambitions of Tuppenny Barn.

Over the past 15 years Tuppenny Barn has featured in regular local press coverage with some national coverage too.

Most of the grounds are accessible for wheelchairs, but undulated areas are more difficult.

Tuppenny Barn Main Road Southbourne PO10 8EZ is open for the National Garden Scheme for By Arrangement visits to 7 October for groups of between 12 and 30. Please contact the garden owner, Maggie Haynes, to discuss your requirements and arrange a date for a group or bespoke visit.

Maggie Haynes [email protected] 01243 377780 http://www.tuppennybarn.co.uk

You can also visit Tuppenny Barn on Saturday 6th July (10am to 3pm). Admission is £6 and children are free. Book online on the National Garden Scheme website or pay on the day. Directions and a map are available on the website. Light refreshments. Food intolerances & allergies catered for. Refreshments & plants in aid of Tuppenny Barn Education (children's charity).

Photos Judi Lion

Why Support the National Garden Scheme

The National Garden Scheme gives visitors unique access to over 3,500 exceptional private gardens in England, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Channel Islands, and raises impressive amounts of money for some of the UK's best-loved nursing and health charities through admissions, teas and cake

Thanks to the generosity of garden owners, volunteers and visitors we have donated more than £70 million to our beneficiary charities, and in 2023 made donations of over £3.4 million. Founded in 1927 to support district nurses, we are now the most significant charitable funder of nursing in the UK and our beneficiaries include Macmillan Cancer Support, Marie Curie, Hospice UK and The Queen’s Nursing Institute.

The National Garden Scheme doesn’t just open beautiful gardens for charity – we are passionate about the physical and mental health benefits of gardens too. We fund projects which promote gardens and gardening as therapy, and in 2017, we launched our annual Gardens and Health Week to raise awareness of the topic. Our funding also supports the training of gardeners and offers respite to horticultural workers who have fallen on difficult times.

Visit https://ngs.org.uk for more information about the work of the National Garden Scheme, to search for gardens opening in your area or to find out how to open your own garden.

For other By Arrangement gardens opening in West Sussex click on the following link

https://ngs.org.uk/west-sussex-by-arrangement-gardens/