As some of you may be aware, Iain Davies, our Head Gardener, left in December 2009 following an offer to work with a top garden designer on a garden in Berkshire. As those of you who met him on our garden walks will know, he was passionate about the gardens here and so this was a very difficult decision for him to make, but he eventually felt that an opportunity like this was unlikely to happen again.

We are very fortunate to have found Mr Ray Abraham to take on the post of Head Gardener, who joins us from Steane Park in Northamptonshire. He has extensive experience of rhododendron gardens, and will bring with him a wealth of knowledge. On the broader front, he spent 18 months travelling around the world working in gardens wherever he went. This included Canada, Denver, Australia and New Zealand.

Ray is due to start on 1^st March and is keen to continue developing contacts with local gardening groups, and leading garden tours.

We are all very excited about developing Minterne Gardens and have agreed that the ethos here must continue unchanged. The gardens will remain quiet and secluded, with rhododendrons, azaleas and magnolias shown in a similar environment as they were found in China by the 19th and 20th Century plant hunters.

We are looking at the possibility of creating a group of "Friends of Minterne Gardens" which may include a Season Ticket to visit the gardens and regular garden walks with Iain. Any suggestions would be gratefully received.