The Garden and Cloister

The Joymead Gardens are a fantastic resource available to all who live in the village. This delightful place is a hidden garden with stone cloisters and a small temple with a large lawn area where villagers can go to relax or to the various events which are held there each year. The gardens can be found by going through the wrought iron gate set into a stone arch on the right hand side of Main Street as you walk away from the church.

The gardens were created by the Agnew family in 1922 to commemorate their two children who had died through illness and injuries from the Great War. The Gardens have been left in trust to the village to be enjoyed by the villagers and are managed by a committee of trustees for that purpose.

Events

Events are held throughout the year for the enjoyment of the village, and all profits from events are used for the upkeep of the Joymead Gardens.

Cloisters roof repair working party Saturday 16th February 2008

In February a volunteer team beavered away in brilliant sunshine and a warm cloister and cleaned ALL the tiles! And that included time for a coffee break too.

So our very grateful thanks to the team – Debbie and Tony, Gay, Colin and Elaine, Chris and Dorothy and last but not least, Graham and the boys, Ben and Dan, who worked like Trojans and did a fantastic job.

Click on images to enlarge

Forthcoming Events

Watch this space!

Regular Events

The Joymead Tea

An important annual event is the Joymead Tea which is timed each year to coincide with Joy Agnew's birthday. It is part of the charter for the Gardens, set up by the Agnew family, that an event should be held each year to celebrate Joy's birthday. All villagers are invited to gather in the gardens with afternoon tea provided from the funds managed by the Joymead committee. Guests from outside the village are welcome with a small charge being made to attend the event. Would attendees please bring their own crockery and cutlery.

Pig Roast

An event for all the village with a whole pig roasted on a spit served with sausages and a variety of salads, accompanied by a licensed bar. Dancing late into the evening is also part of this event with a live rock band playing in the cloisters, music from 60's, 70's and 80's.

Christmas in the Cloister

The very popular annual event (see below). The date for this year's event is Saturday 13th December from 4pm to 7pm. More details to be announced later. For further information contact Dorothy FitzGerald on 361646.

Past Events

Christmas in the Cloister
Saturday 15th December 2007– 4pm to 7 pm

This was a great success again. Hot food, mulled wine and roast chestnuts on the brazier along with games for fun, all in the magical setting of the Cloister in Joymead Gardens.

Local craft stalls for gifts with a difference: mini fingerboards and bmx bikes, remote control helicopters; beautiful handmade walking sticks, wooden candlesticks, clocks, lamp stands and bowls; fine foods and handmade chocolates; Christmas wreaths and pots of bulbs; wildlife pictures and cards; alpaca shawls, scarves, jumpers, teddy bears, bags and hats etc; Phoenix Cards and wrapping paper; Jewellery and much more.

All rounded off with carols by torchlight at 6pm round the Christmas Tree. Something for everyone! All proceeds to Charity.

Picnic in the Park - Abba Dayz - Saturday 1st September 2007 Abba Dayz, a fantastic Abba tribute band, played in the Joymead Gardens,supported by local band Identity Crisis.

This was a really successful event, much enjoyed by all, especially the children, who were absolutely spellbound by "Abba".

Picnic in the Park - with the Beatles - Saturday 2nd September 2006
Another very successful event. The local Beatles tribute band Accrington Stanley did not disappoint us. The weather held out and we had a fantastic evening of Beatles songs, with great food and raffle prizes.

Elizabethan Evening - Saturday 3rd June 2006

Click on images to enlarge

The Elizabethan Evening was attended by 80 people who were entertained by Piva, playing a range of English dance and court music from the late 16th and early 17th Centuries. They played on a variety of instruments ranging from the delicate sounds of a consort of large recorders to English bagpipes, and renaissance fiddle to violone (the Renaissance version of a Double Bass). Sackbutts, Curtals, Crumhorns and Hurdy Gurdys were also put through their paces to keep the variety going throughout the concert.

Food prepared by Paul and Denise from the Kings Arms was served in the interval. Some fine cheeses and pies were to be had, as anyone who has been to the pub in the village would have expected.

At the end of the evening a call for dancers was made and nearly 40 people jumped up and danced some renaissance dances with instruction from Piva's Eric Moulder. Everyone threw themselves into this part of the evening and made a grand finale to the concert.

Many thanks to all who helped organise the event which will see over £200 added to the Joymead coffers in addition to a grand evening being had by all. Thanks from the band for all the generous comments made by the audience and for us it was a gig to remember for many years to come.

For more information about the Group, click www.piva.org.uk

Upkeep of the Gardens and Working Parties
Next cleanup day - tba

To assist in the upkeep of the gardens, the villagers come together in a working party two or three times a year to clear undergrowth, sort out leaking gutters and undertake minor renovation projects. This usually takes place on a Sunday morning from 10:00am till 12:00pm. In addition to the working parties, a mowing rota is also actively supported to keep the grass mown each week throughout the summer months. Volunteers for mowing the grass are always welcome and we are generally able to keep the involvement to one mow per person per year. Please contact Pete Stanton on 01327 361621 if you would like to help in the upkeep of the gardens.