Do join us for a free behind the scenes tour of Coolings Garden Cente. The tour lasts about an hour and we’ll be meeting at Coolings at 1.45 pm to start the tour at 2pm.
Amongst today’s garden centres Coolings remain just that little bit different. Unlike most centres Coolings actually grow many of the plants they sell on their purpose-built production nursery at Rushmore Hill, so their plants really are locally grown. In the peak weeks over 50,000 plants enter the production cycle, all requiring careful planning to ensure everything ends up in the correct pot and all are sold at Coolings.
At the end of April each year the nursery, which is not normally open to the public, is opened for guided tours to see just how all this is done along with an insight into the challenges growers face with environmental issues as well as working with the weather. Highlights include the potting machines, the incredible robotic transplanter, our reservoirs holding millions of litres of rainwater, the hundreds of beneficial insects that are released into the glasshouses to fight pests such as aphids and of course our talented production staff. New for 2025 is our fantastic automatic plant trimming machine.
Coolings has a lovely cafe so why not plan to have lunch before the tour or a cuppa afterwards – if you’re not too busy buying plants, that is! We aren’t able to reserve tables and the cafe can get busy so do allow plenty of time if you are planning lunch before the tour.
Please sign up at our meeting on March 20th or let Kay Hart know via our WhatsApp group if you would like to come. There will be some car shares available so do let us know if you need transport to get there.
We will be visiting Hall Place, a Grade I listed country house in Bexley, built in 1537 and one of the South East’s best kept secrets. There will be a cost of £9 and to register your interest please contact Janice Newport. Meet in the cafe at 10.30 for the tour which begins at 11 am.
How to get to Hall place
By car – Hall Place is located just off the A2 at the Black Prince interchange 5 miles from Junction 2 of the M25 towards London and offers free parking. For Sat Navs our postcode is: DA5 1PQ
By rail – the nearest rail connection is Bexley BR (15 minutes’ walk to Hall Place or a taxi rank is available outside the station).
By bus – Bus connections include 229, 492, B12 and 132 to the foot of Gravel Hill.
By bike – We have bike racks in the car park at Hall Place. Please note that bicycles may not be ridden within the gardens or parkland.
For the gardeners amongst you all the popular Lee Manor Society plant mart is taking place on Saturday 17th May. As well as the chance to buy plants, cakes, books and a cream tea, you will be supporting the Society’s valuable work planting trees in the local area. If you have plants to donate or would like to help at the event please contact Karen Pratt at who is coordinating the event. More details here.
The committee at Catford WI would like to invite members of Lee Green WI to take part in their planned Treasure Trail, The 4 Bridges of London on the 31st May 2025. The Treasure Trail will start from Blackfriars Station (on the South Bank), where you will be met and teams given all the information needed to take part and have fun.
You can start the Treasure Trail anytime between 10am and 11.30am. Depending on the pace your team sets, the Treasure Trail will take around 3 to 4 hours. (Opportunities for refreshment will be found on-route.) The Treasure Trail is mostly walking on the flat, there may be a few steps to negotiate at the bridges.
You can enter a team or teams, with up to 6 people per team. The entrance fee for taking part is only £6 per person, to be paid in advance. (Details will be emailed to you after you confirm entry.) Please contact Catford WI if you would like to take part: The deadline for entering a team or teams is the 14th April.
Our lovely guides Jenny and Elaine are leading a walk for us again this summer.
They are planning to show us the north west part of the City of London, starting and finishing at Farringdon, which is on the Thameslink line so easy to get to from London Bridge. The walk which also touches on Clerkenwell would include: the old meat market, Barts Hospital, the only Romanesque Church in the City, stories of public hangings, a beautiful pocket park with banana trees and much more.
Based on last year’s interest we have booked Jenny and Elaine for two dates in June so very much hope you will be able to join us. The walks will be £6 per person. We will be meeting at 5.45 for the walk which will begin at 6 pm and finish by 8 pm latest. We will post travel details nearer the time.
Our lovely guides Jenny and Elaine are leading a walk for us again this summer.
They are planning to show us the north west part of the City of London, starting and finishing at Farringdon, which is on the Thameslink line so easy to get to from London Bridge. The walk which also touches on Clerkenwell would include: the old meat market, Barts Hospital, the only Romanesque Church in the City, stories of public hangings, a beautiful pocket park with banana trees and much more.
Based on last year’s interest we have booked Jenny and Elaine for two dates in June so very much hope you will be able to join us. The walks will be £6 per person. We will be meeting at 5.45 for the walk which will begin at 6 pm and finish by 8 pm latest. We will post travel details nearer the time.
Back by very popular demand, our wonderful wine educator and connoisseur Carolyn Bosworth Davies is arranging a trip on Saturday 19th July to Mousehall Distillery & Winery in Sussex. We will travel by coach to Wadhurst for a guided tour and then tasting of both wine and gin, as well as cheese platter. The cost, which covers all the above as well as a discount for our party, is £70.00 per head. More details at the meeting and Carolyn will be bringing her trip list to add your name if you would like to go.
A trip is being organised to the Bethlem Museum of the Mind in Beckenham on Friday 8th August. There is no cost and the tour is self-guided, with a 15 minute introduction. More details to follow.
We are delighted to announce a first! A WI day trip to the seaside – Brighton here we come! This trip will be open to members only. There’s lots to do in Brighton – the tourist website is here. Apart from the seaside attractions and the pier, there’s the Pavilion and of course shopping in the Lanes. We have also arranged a few things to do while you are there. You can, of course, choose to do all, some or none of these and just come along for the ride. £10 secures your place on the coach and this can be transferred to one of the activities on the day. If you only want the coach journey, the £10 will be refunded to you provided you come on the trip.
Sign-up sheets for the day and activities will be at our meetings on Thursday 20th March (see Caroline Powell) and Thursday 24th April (please see Jane Verity). Whichever date you choose to sign up, please bring £10 to hold your place.
We are still finalising details so this is just a brief outline of our day …
Travel arrangements
We will be meeting at Trinity School by 8.15 prompt so that we can leave by coach at 08.30am. This means we should arrive in Brighton by 10 and then we will be leaving Brighton at 5.00pm to be back by 6.30pm. We will be covering the cost of the coach – so nothing to pay for your travel (see above).
Guided tour of Brighton Pavilion.
We have provisionally booked tours of Brighton Pavilion. These last about an hour and leave you time to explore other areas of the Pavilion not covered by the tour as well as the grounds. The tour costs £10 per person plus the general entrance fee to the Pavilion (this is currently £19 but is free to Art Pass holders.)
Walking tour of Brighton
We have also provisionally booked a walking tour of Brighton. This will last about 90 mins and introduces you to the history and development of Brighton as well as key landmarks. The walking tour will cost about £15.
The guided tour of the Pavilion and walking tour are not an either/or choice! We are seeking to arrange timings which will mean that you will be able to do both if you would like to do so (and have lunch)!
Lunch on the pier
We are reserving space at the Palm Court restaurant on the pier at 12.30 so that we can have lunch together and enjoy some traditional fish and chips or whatever else you might fancy to eat!