Penarth woman, 86, orphaned as child raises funds for charityafter childhood promise to herself

A woman who grew up as an orphan and promised to “help any child I could” has spent 30 years opening her picturesque garden to visitors to raise money for a children’s charity.

Ann Lush, 86, was raised alongside her brother by her grandmother, who was widowed during World War Two, and said her childhood inspired her lifelong commitment to helping young people.

Lush, from Penarth, said she had promised herself: “If I ever had a home of my own, everybody could come to it.”

She has now raised more than £130,000 for The Children’s Society through Penarth Open Gardens, which she started with her late husband Dennis in 1996, charging £1 per head to enter her garden.

Dozens of gardens are now included in the event each year.

Lush said that when she was young, her grandmother would not let her invite friends to the house, but that friends’ parents had done the opposite.

“I resolved when I was about nine years of age… that I would help any child I could as I got older,” she told BBC Radio Wales.

“And if I ever had a home of my own, everybody could come to it,” said Lush, who has received an MBE alongside her husband for their charity work.

“And everybody has come to it. Not just through the open gardens, because I’ve had strawberry teas, I’ve had barbecues, I’ve had garage sales.

“It’s been a wonderful thing to be able to do with my garden. It really, really has,” she said.