Preparations are well underway for this year’s Thetford Open Gardens on the 22nd June, and the team are busy organising two additional events for the campaign.
The first-ever TOG Curry Night is on Monday 14th April at the New Saffron in White Hart Street. Tickets are now on sale and selling fast, so don’t wait before booking! Diners will enjoy a two-course meal with a selection of main courses and sides, while a blind raffle will provide entertainment. Fantastic prizes include a meal for two with a bottle of wine, hampers, and bottles of fizz. All proceeds will go to St Nicholas Hospice Care.
The Thetford Open Gardens team are grateful to Shipon and the team at New Saffron for their support and generosity. “It’ll be a fun night with delicious food and great company. We desperately need to raise as much money as possible for the Hospice this year after the loss of the Norfolk & Waveney ICB funding,” said Karen-Emma White.
On 10th May, the annual plant sale will be at 28 Arlington Way. This is always a busy and fun day to pick up a plant or two. If you are dividing plants or making space for new ones, please consider donating them to the plant stall. Sue has plenty of plant pots if you need something to pot up into.
Tickets for this year’s Thetford Open Gardens will go on sale at the beginning of May and will be available from Leaping Hare. Tickets remain at £7 per person, with U12s free if accompanied by a ticket-holding adult. The team are also looking for raffle prizes for their Grand Draw and final gardens for this year’s event.
The team have also partnered with Thetford artist Joey La Meche to create new promotional artwork for the event.
Known locally as Joey Dean, he is a graphic artist with a passion for hand-crafted design. His creative journey began in 2005 at Norwich City College before continuing at UCA Epsom in 2007.
After working on countless unpaid internships and uninspiring projects, Joey set off on a 12-month backpacking trip to the Far East—a journey that turned into nearly a decade. Immersing himself in Asian culture and philosophy, he developed a deeper connection to creativity, which now influences his work.
Returning to the UK, Joey has combined formal design training with a free, expressive, and hand-crafted approach. His work has been described as “Like lollies for your eyes,” and in his own words, “I was trained to sell products, and now I use the same skills to tell people they don’t need to buy anything to find peace of mind.” Creativity has always been central to his life.
As a child, while his family watched TV, he spent evenings drawing comic books. However, his years of wandering weren’t without struggle. A troubled mind often plagued him, leading him to seek temporary relief in external distractions. Now embracing clean living, he sees art as a tool for mental well-being.
As well as designing new artwork for Thetford Open Gardens, Joey is now focused on expanding his creative toolkit and relaunching his Mental Health Awareness Festival, MIND AID, in Norwich this summer.
Thetford Open Gardens 2025 will take place on Sunday, 22nd June. For more information about Thetford Open Gardens or to open your garden, please email: thetfordopengardens@gmail.com.
