The Duchess of Cornwall visited the Dalston Eastern Curve Garden on Wednesday 30 May as part of a tour of East London gardens and venues taking part in the ‘Chelsea Fringe’ festival. The Garden has been hosting the three week ‘Dalston Flower Show’ – a series of events and activities celebrating gardens and gardening in Dalston.

She was introduced to volunteers, regular visitors, young people from the Off Centre’s ‘Hackney Young People Outdoors’ programme and children and teachers from Brook Community Primary School.

The Duchess met one of the Garden’s youngest helpers, two-year old Joe who told everyone ‘The Duchess liked my shoes’. She complimented Ray Bradley from the Off Centre who had helped get the Garden looking its best for the visit by saying ‘The Garden is beautiful, I cannot see a weed in sight’.  She chatted with regular visitors Justin and Millie Lewis saying ‘This garden is just full of a feeling of community spirit’.

She then joined in with children from Brook Community Primary School who were making pizzas, before baking one herself in the Garden’s clay oven.

On leaving she stopped to see a miniature garden that had been created just outside by Steve Wheen the ‘Pothole Gardener’, whose special ‘Jubilee Garden’ has now been relocated in the Dalston Eastern Curve Garden for visitors to continue to enjoy.