A GREEN Fingered couple have been presented with a specially engraved garden fork for twenty years charity work.

Air Commodore and Mrs Diana Kennedy operate the Lindeth Fell Country House Hotel, Bowness, and since 1988 have opened the hotel's famous gardens to the public as part of the National Garden Scheme charity.

The charity provides volunteers to help open privately owned gardens to the public. Visitors pay an entry fee that is donated to various national charities.

In 2007 the national gardens scheme raised £1.71 million for Macmillan Cancer Support, Marie Curie Cancer Care and a various other nursing and caring charities. More than £41,000 was raised by Cumbria's NGS Gardens alone.

NGS county organiser, Linda Greening, said: "I am absolutely delighted to present Air Commodore and Mrs Kennedy with their award in recognition of all their efforts over the past 20 years. By opening their beautiful garden for the National Garden Scheme, that have given huge numbers of visitors a great deal of pleasure and in addition they have been able to make an enormous contribution to a range of wonderful charities."

The Lindeth Fell Country House Hotel is set on a hill above Lake Windermere. Acclaimed landscape architect, Thomas Mawson, designed its gardens in 1909. They are famous for their specimen trees, rhododendrons and azaleas.

The gardens will be open for the National Gardens Scheme on Saturday, May 17 from 2-5pm.

Visitors are welcome at other times by appointment.