A FRINTON club began their year of events with a talk on the history of Beth Chatto's Gardens at a town church.

Members of the Frinton and District Horticultural Society gathered at Frinton Methodist Church, in Ashlyn's Road on February 1.

Speaker Lucy Redman, who has worked at the gardens for several years, spoke about the history of Beth Chatto's Garden, in Elmstead Market.

Clacton and Frinton Gazette: Busy - The many members of Frinton and District Horticultural Society who attended Busy - The many members of Frinton and District Horticultural Society who attended (Image: Frinton and District Horticultural Society)

Lucy spoke about her background in horticultural development and how she joined Beth Chatto's team. 

A spokesman for the club said: "Beth was certainly a woman of substance whose perception for natural planting changed the thinking on how the environment should be more natural rather than regimental with manicured lawns and planting out of place.

Clacton and Frinton Gazette: Speaker - Lucy Redman [centre] with residentsSpeaker - Lucy Redman [centre] with residents (Image: Frinton and District Horticultural Society)

"Up to her death in 2018, at the age of 94 years, Beth worked on her garden and continued to develop her landscape leaving a lasting legacy for those in her family of two daughters and granddaughter.

"With the support of her husband Andrew who married in 1943, he and Beth were pioneers and quickly gained a reputation in the horticultural world achieving ten gold medals from 1977-1987 at the Royal Horticultural Show at Chelsea."