Gift that keeps giving

During three lockdowns as a grandparent, I was asked by mums and other grandparents if I knew of any projects to keep children occupied and interested in garden wildlife. As I keep every copy of my GW subscription, I remembered the Family Fun pages, which I shared with them. The children were delighted making the fat cupcakes, bug houses, bird houses and sowing projects that I found in my favourite magazine.

Helen Thompson, by email

As a recent fan of GW (thanks Mum for the subscription), I wanted to tell you about how your magazine has brought smiles to not just me, but also my friends and colleagues during lockdown. Your packet of free tomato seeds last year got sown in whatever pots I had to hand.

I would rush home from work every day (I’m a key worker) to watch their progress with excitement, longing for them to start producing flowers, and eagerly watching those tiny tomatoes develop and grow. The evocative aroma they produced took me straight back to being a little girl running through my grandmother’s tomato greenhouse. I also started a plant swap at work so I could share the joy, and was rewarded with marigolds and sunflowers in exchange.

But my greatest joy was managing to find a big pot (a challenge during lockdown) and repot one of my strongest plants to give to a friend for her birthday. She loves tomatoes and was delighted with her gift. My friend, colleagues and I enjoyed those beautiful tomatoes for a few months – they were delicious. I can hardly wait to sow my free seeds this year!

Veronica Noble, Cornwall