Queen’s Nurses celebrate 130 years at royal garden

Queen’s Nurses, QNI staff and friends gathered at the royal garden of Frogmore, Windsor, when it opened for the National Garden Scheme last week. Strong wind and rain in the morning gave way to sunshine in the afternoon for this special occasion.

Berkshire NGS county organiser Heather Skinner welcomed the QNs and Head Gardener Neil Dodds gave a brief history of the garden. Greggs very generously donated a selection of 100 iced doughnuts for the event which were happily received.

The QNI was originally created with money raised by the women of England for Queen Victoria’s Golden Jubilee, which took place on 20^th June 1887.

Queen Victoria became the charity’s first patron when it was incorporated by royal charter two years later. She invited the first Queen’s Nurses to Windsor Castle in 1896, setting a tradition that has been continued by successive monarchs throughout the 20^th century to the present day.

The National Garden Scheme was established by the QNI in 1927 to raise funds for district nursing. The NGS celebrates 90 years of raising funds for nursing charities, including the QNI, this year. The National Garden Scheme now raises over £3.5m for charity every year.