A SPECIAL garden will open to Gloucestershire residents near Wotton under Edge this weekend to raise money for the work that hospices do.

Katherine's Farm Garden in Swinhay was created as a memorial to Katherine Meyer, who died of cancer at St Peter’s Hospice in 2012, aged just 41.

Her father Richard Meyer founded the Cock-a-Doodle-Do! Trust to raise money and awareness of the work hospices do, and to celebrate Katherine’s love of gardening and chickens.

He said: “Katherine said the St Peter's Hospice staff were simply wonderful and managed to make the hospice ‘feel like a five-star hotel’. She wanted to help them in some way.

“By combining her passions, we created a charity garden and rare-breed poultry centre and the Cock-a-Doodle-Do! Trust was born.”

New this year at the gardens is a stumpery consisting of 30 enormous oak stumps, felled before WWII, that have been repurposed as planters and filled with ferns straight off a stand at the recent Chelsea Flower Show.

Another new addition is the Prince of Wales herbaceous border, named after HRH Prince Charles and his links with the garden.

Katherine had loved visiting Highgrove, the Gloucestershire home of the Prince of Wales, where she discovered the inspirational garden and its gothic chicken house.

Before Katherine’s death the Prince had heard her story, and was more than willing to give his permission for Richard to build a replica of the chicken house for her.

An area of woodland was also developed and merged with the existing garden, creating a varied landscape of gardens, flowerbeds, shrubs and trees, alongside the chicken’s grand residence, which now houses a number of rare poultry breeds.

The five-acre garden is open Saturday and Sunday, June 23-24 from 10am to 6pm, with afternoon teas from 2pm, and again for a picnic day on Sunday, July 1 for people to bring their own picnic from 10am.

Entrance £5 for adults. Children under 16 free. Find the garden at Katharine's Farm, Swinhay, Gloucestershire, GL12 7PH.

Richard is also now encouraging gardening and other interest groups to visit Katharine’s Farm. Groups of 12 or more can call Richard on 01453 843329 or email info@cockadoodledo.org.uk to arrange a tour.

Visit cockadoodledo.org.uk to find out more about Katharine’s Farm. To learn more about fundraising for St Peter’s Hospice visit stpetershospice.org.uk/support-us.