Chelsea show treat for garden fan Ann

A GREEN-FINGERED volunteer for Samaritans Dumfries has celebrated the charity’s 70th anniversary at the Chelsea Flower Show after recently celebrating her own 70th birthday. Ann Stephenson is branch director at Dumfries Samaritans and was thrilled to discover she had been chosen to attend the flower show as a Samaritans steward. A unique Samaritans Listening Garden was created for this year’s show – which ran from May 22-27 - by award-winning gardener and Samaritans volunteer Darren Hawkes. Designed to mark the charity’s 70th anniversary, it was inspired by stories of those who have found the courage to reach out for help over the last seven decades. [caption id="attachment_48361" align="aligncenter" width="541"]

CHELSEA FLOWER SHOW . . . Ann taking the sounds of the Samaritans' listening garden[/caption] Ann, who has been with the charity since 2019, was delighted to be part of this year’s display at the world famous flower show and she said: “My main hobby is gardening - it’s something I have always loved. “We have a wildlife garden with ponds and I spend as much time as I can in the garden. It is my space for thinking and planning and getting away from the laptop. “I have always wanted to go to Chelsea but have never had the opportunity until now. It was great seeing all the incredible show gardens that I normally only see on TV and soaking up the atmosphere. It was also really lovely to have the chance to talk to people about Samaritans.”