Hidden agenda: Metford Robson welcomes visitors
‘We do what we can to make everything a home for nature.’
This year, our town’s annual ‘Hidden Gardens’ project took place despite worries about the possible effect of the pandemic on attendance. It was in aid of the local hospice so we decided to be brave and support it as usual.
Once again the event was preceded by a period of energetic gardening in the areas adjacent to our eighteenth-century Meeting house. (An exception was one large area around our gravestones, which has been allowed to re-wild as a message to ourselves and to the public.) In particular, as homage to the ‘Hidden Garden’ concept, we have a quiet courtyard at the rear of the Meeting house with appropriate planting – including a handsome Sorbus Pink Pagoda, which has a surrounding bench enabling quiet contemplation.
Another area is used by neighbours as a rent-free organic allotment. We do what we can to make everything a home for nature. This is surprisingly abundant in this town centre location, and we have erected signs to point out relevant features to visitors.
The great day came on Sunday 5 July. It began at 11am, and we had doubts as to whether Friends would remember that Meeting for Worship would start half an hour early to enable public access. Thanks to online messaging, however, they all came at the right time.
The entrance gate, the refreshments counter, and our plant stall were all appropriately staffed. Friends were available to answer questions and to enable some to be relieved of duties, so that they could see for themselves a few of the other thirty ‘Hidden Gardens’ in the town centre.
We only had to wait a matter of moments before the first visitors came. With the aid of a handheld counter we welcomed over 600 people to see – perhaps for the first time – a Quaker place of worship and its associated grounds. The double doors opening on to our Meeting room gave a welcoming view of the circular arrangement of our seating, with the usual bowl of flowers, Quaker faith & practice, and the Bible on our central table. A notice on the door invited anyone interested to have a look. Some did, but we had to remember that visitors were primarily on a garden pilgrimage, and not all wanted to spend time on our premises – although practically everyone gave us thanks for what we had to offer.
It was a simple event, which was perhaps a long way from some of the huge worries that we are all currently facing, but life has to go on. At least for the moment we feel we can give thanks for something very worthwhile, which in its quiet way witnessed to the possibility of a different world.
