![Too good to miss](https://magarticles.magzter.com/articles/10252/452469/5ec23823c9969/Too-good-to-miss.jpg)
For more than 90 years, the National Garden Scheme (NGS) has existed solely to raise funds by opening gardens. It started in 1927 as a way to support District Nurses and since then has given away more than £60 million, in 2019 donating £3 million to charities including Macmillan Cancer Support, Marie Curie, Hospice UK, Carers Trust and The Queen’s Nursing Institute (over £185,000 of this coming from Essex).
Until now the gardens have never closed, not even during World War II. Consequently, a campaign, led by Alan Titchmarsh, has been launched to help make up the shortfall in donations which has inevitably resulted from the coronavirus crisis.
The idea behind the campaign is to find alternative ways to share gardens with the many people who regularly visit over the course of a year and also with those who have never visited before. The NGS is doing this with a series of video virtual tours. Lasting from as little as 10 seconds to several minutes, these videos are a way of sharing the hard work of the garden owners and lifting the spirits of the viewers. And it is not just video that enables us to share. Here, we are able to bring you a virtual tour in photos from some of the gardens which would have been opening in June this year across the county.
ISABELLA’S GARDEN
Denne historien er fra June 2020-utgaven av Essex Life.
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Denne historien er fra June 2020-utgaven av Essex Life.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
![The rise of maskne](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/10252/539806/5f8eea3b74f95/crp_The-rise-of-maskne.jpg)
The rise of maskne
With the term ‘maskne’ becoming an increasingly common search online and on social media, Krystal Prince explains what it is and how you can control mask-induced acne
![The forgotten lady](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/10252/539806/5f8ee4f29cb7e/crp_The-forgotten-lady.jpg)
The forgotten lady
Charlotte Christie shares the life story of Anne Knight, an Essex pioneer for the abolition of slavery and women’s suffrage who’s achievements have almost been air-brushed from history
![Stride out in the Sampfords](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/10252/539806/5f8ee1abd46f5/crp_Stride-out-in-the-Sampfords.jpg)
Stride out in the Sampfords
This charming, circular winter walk takes you on a tour from the village of Great Sampford to its neighbour, Little Sampford, and back again
![MUCH TO TALK ABOUT](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/10252/539806/5f8ee816a7c9d/crp_MUCH-TO-TALKABOUT.jpg)
MUCH TO TALK ABOUT
As a presenter on Sky Music and the host of two TV talk shows of her own on Gidea Park-based Sky channel Spotlight TV, Hayley Palmer is never short of words. Nicky Adams asks her how she came to be in front of the camera
![LIFE and SOUL](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/10252/539806/5f8edcff21042/crp_LIFE-and-SOUL.jpg)
LIFE and SOUL
Radio 1 broadcaster and producer Charlie Hedges began her career as Britain’s youngest breakfast show host and is now one of the world’s most successful female DJs. Denise Marshall caught up with the Essex-based queen of the air waves
![Lest we forget](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/10252/539806/5f8edeb89888f/crp_Lest-we-forget.jpg)
Lest we forget
Remembrance Sunday will have a special poignance this month as 2020 marks the 75th anniversary of the end of World War II. Stephen Roberts profiles how much the county of Essex contributed to the war effort and how much it cost
![Lakeside Magic](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/10252/539806/5f8ee0a0a18f8/crp_Lakeside-Magic.jpg)
Lakeside Magic
The Lake House, nestled in Mill End on the outskirts of the village of Bradwell on Sea, has been owned by the same family for 60 years and was once a thriving four-buoy water-ski lake.
![Keep on running](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/10252/539806/5f8edba961078/crp_Keep-on-running.jpg)
Keep on running
BBC presenter and director David Whiteley shares his insightful view on stories from across the county of Essex
![Cheers!](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/10252/539806/5f8ee95b8a192/crp_Cheers.jpg)
Cheers!
Starting to get that festive vibe? Why not plan ahead by selecting not only the drinks you want to serve this Christmas, but also ticking off a few presents too?
![A doggy day out on… Saffron Walden](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/10252/539806/5f8ee2e749993/crp_A-doggy-day-out-on-Saffron-Walden.jpg)
A doggy day out on… Saffron Walden
Join Ernie, the county’s most famous Westie, as he steps back in time on a trip to this medieval market town