GROSVENOR'S Eaton Estate on the outskirts of Chester will be hosting the first of its three annual garden open days.

The event will be held on Sunday, May 21, helping to raise much needed funds for local charities.

The Grosvenor's Eaton Estate charity garden open days support local charities by welcoming visitors to enjoy the gardens of Eaton Hall, home to the Duke of Westminster.

Visiting the estate is also an opportunity to learn more about Grosvenor’s activities and how these strive to provide economic, social and environmental benefit to the local area.

Guests can explore the 88-acre gardens including a kitchen garden, a wildflower garden, a lake walk, a tea house and the camelia walk.

At the courtyard complex, which was created as part of a rebuilding scheme in 1870, visitors can see the Eaton Chapel as well as being the location of refreshments and charity fundraising stalls.

Other activities include live music, entertainment, garden trails and crafts.

Steam engine aficionados can enjoy a ride on the Eaton railway, a historic narrow-gauge line which connected the Hall to nearby mainline services to transport deliveries and fuel.

While the original railway was removed in 1947 when Eaton Hall was leased to the War Department, a circular route was reinstated in 1996 and remains a popular attraction at the garden open days.

Please note, tickets for the Eaton railway can only be purchased in advance with an event ticket and are subject to availability.

Tickets to the event are prebook only through the online service Eventbrite by searching for Grosvenor’s Eaton Estate.

No tickets are available on the gate.

Tickets cost £11.98 for an adult, £3.76 for children and family tickets including two adults and up to three children are £29.52.

Parking is free and dogs are welcome but must be kept on a short lead and under close control. Gates open at 10am and the events run from 10.15am until 5pm. Last entry is 4pm.

This year’s beneficiary charities are: B-I-R-D, the Brain Injury and Rehabilitation Development Charity, which is dedicated to improving the lives of people of all ages with learning difficulties and brain injuries, Passion for Learning, which promotes and supports the enrichment, education and mental well-being of school age children to motivate, empower and enable them to fulfil their potential, and the Three Villages Project, raising funds for community support in the three estate villages of Eccleston, Aldford and Saighton on Grosvenor's Eaton Estate.

The three events in 2023 will take place on the following Sundays: May 21, July 2 and August 27 (summer bank holiday weekend).

Last year, the first full calendar of events since the Covid pandemic, the garden open days raised more than £50,000 for charities whose impact is felt in our local communities.