Walsham le Willows is celebrating the 40th anniversary of its esteemed open gardens event over the bank holiday weekend.

The event will be running from Sunday, August 28 to Monday, August 29, and offers a special bus service circulating the village to showcase the 44 gardens.

Walsham le Willows' open garden event will be making its comeback after two years of delays during the Covid-19 pandemic, though has had to face the additional challenge of a drought.

Open gardens organiser Penelope Robbins said: "It is a nice way to bring people together and, despite the drought, everything is still running smoothly."

With the help of a water holding tank, Penelope has managed to keep her three-acre garden in pristine condition and will be following in the tradition of her parents by displaying it across the weekend.

Dr Alec Russell and Hilary Russell started the event 40 years ago, as a way of showing their passion for gardening and raising funds for the community.

Penelope will be joined by Amelia and grandchildren Scarlett and Rufus who she hopes will follow in her footsteps once they come to live in the family home.

She added: "It's important to continue tradition, particularly when it attracts so many people to our lovely village."

Over £20,000 has been raised in previous years and funds are split between St. Mary's Church and the wider village community, including the village hall, school and local sports clubs.

The Open Garden's Trust recently funded the refurbishment of the clock face on the north side of the tower of St Mary's Church.

The event will start with a party for over 300 people on Friday, August 26, where they will be able to collect the numbers for their gardens.

Here, Penelope will declare the weekend officially open and the programme of music and entertainment will follow.

Alongside the 44 open gardens, there is set to be live music, Morris dancers, a craft fair, plant stalls, art exhibitions and a farmers market.