The Home & Garden Show 2016

In early June, our normally quiet and serene gardens became a hive of activity. Delightful assortments of plants and flowers were unloaded and carried down to their stalls, stretching out like delicate little rainbows across the lawns. Kettles were boiled, cakes baked and Big Pan Parties delicious creations filled the air with appetite inducing deliciousness. Highly talented local artists, food producers and green fingered folk unpacked their wares and the gates were opened: Coombe Trenchard’s Home & Garden Show 2016 was in full swing.  

Thankfully the weather was humid but dry, warranting one (or two!) trips to the Icicle Ice Cream Tricycle to cool down. Picnic blankets were unrolled and wallets unfurled as the visitors kept on coming. We welcomed over 2,000 people during the whole weekend; an amazing amount of friendly faces, happy smiles and wagging tails keen to discover new additions to their home and gardens.

Coombe Trenchard itself came to life, revelling in so many welcome guests and showcasing just how much our beautiful home has to offer. We overheard innumerable snippets of conversation enthralled with picturing wedding celebrations on the terrace and bridal gowns in the woodland. The atmosphere was happy and content; no doubt in part owing to such a delicious array of treats to savour (we had the best brownie of our lives from Column Bakehouse). Children swooned over The Ark Man’s divine hand carved animals while their mothers sampled The Lavender Lady’s natural treats. Cornwall Wildlife Trust and Visit Dartmoor educated lovely visitors on our precious part of Devon. After picking up advice from our friendly plant suppliers, legs were rested and much needed cups of tea enjoyed. 

Children’s Hospice Southwest were delighted with the funds raised from their tent on the croquet lawn, and received many pledges of support for their Silver Anniversary Tea Party Celebrations. You can find out more and get involved by following this link. 

As 5pm approached, visitors followed the woodland path back to their cars, laden with armfuls of new favourite things. Exhibitors dispersed (with much lighter loads than when they arrived) and we cracked open a well-earned bottle of wine.  

You can watch a slideshow of some images of our wonderful weekend below. 

A huge, heartfelt thank you to everyone that came together to put on such a glorious weekend; exhibitors, staff, guests and their canine companions! There are too many exhibitors to name, but you were all fabulous; your hard work and huge effort is much appreciated.  We’re already looking forward to our next Home & Garden Show, and hope that you can all join us once more.

If you would like to be kept in touch with details of events at Coombe Trenchard please do join our mailing list here

Sarah xx

The Luxury of a Mid-Week Wedding

The Luxury of a Mid-Week Wedding

Here at Coombe Trenchard, we don’t like to see things go to waste. We have worked hard to restore our beautiful 'Arts & Crafts' country home back to its former Edwardian glory, we make use of our glorious grounds by growing seasonal blooms for blushing Brides and love to put our home-grown fruits to good use in jams for Devonshire Cream Teas.  When we see our terrace bathed in sunshine on a Thursday afternoon we can’t help but wonder if this is a wasted opportunity.

So we’ve decided to offer Mid-Week weddings, a flexible and exciting new option for your Big Day. Whilst there are the obvious financial benefits from choosing a mid-week wedding (please download our beautiful digital brochure or get in contact for pricing structures), the perks don’t stop there....

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Every Bride and Groom is aware of just how difficult it can be to find preferred suppliers that all have availability on the same day. This is especially true when trying to plan your nuptials in a shorter time frame than an average engagement of 13-18 months. If you feel you want to become Mr & Mrs as soon as possible but are concerned about rushed plans, fully booked suppliers and time to save: a mid-week wedding may be the way forward. At Coombe Trenchard we offer in-house assistance with planning and liaise with suppliers to make your wedding experience as stress free as possible. Discounts and savings offered by suppliers and Coombe Trenchard can ensure you may not need as long as you think to be financially ready to tie the knot. 

Mid-week weddings are on the rise, with a total of 21,700 couples getting married on a Thursday in the last year alone. Couples are enjoying more time to decorate their venue in a relaxed manner, more time to spend with friends and family, and the benefit of a weekend after the wedding to bask in its glow and re-live the Big Day. This can mean better deals on honeymoon flights and packages, as well as the luxury of time to enjoy a weeklong celebration! Those working within the Education system may also take advantage of Half Term and School Holiday weekdays without the concern of being at work directly before or after saying ‘I Do’. 

Couples seeking a quieter day will already be spoilt for choice with 12 different licensed locations of various sizes dotted around our home and grounds. Nestled in the Devonshire countryside with far reaching views of Dartmoor, we offer accommodation in our fully restored and luxurious bedrooms for up to 8 guests and can provide both in house catering and cut flowers fresh from the garden. Cosy log fires and original Edwardian features will ensure a spectacularly stately festive celebration, or soak up the spring sunshine and tie the knot underneath the Clock Tower overlooking our bubbling stream.  A mid-week wedding at Coombe Trenchard may be just the ticket for a relaxed, intimate and truly memorable day. 

We genuinely believe no two weddings should be the same and it’s important to us to provide a personal service to the couples who choose our beautiful home for their special day. We still have some mid-week availability for 2016 and we would love to hear from you to discuss your plans. 

Contact: sarah@coombetrenchard.co.uk

Christmas Carols at Coombe Trenchard

Coombe Trenchard in the Snow

For those of you who have yet to experience the winter splendour that is Christmas at Coombe Trenchard, there is no better time for you to see it than for our annual Christmas Carols evening on December 18th. The house and gardens shine in the winter, as a truly picturesque yet inviting feature in the Devonshire countryside. Christmas Carols, mulled cider and mince pies are exactly what these chilly pre-Christmas days are all about! This event really inspires the Christmas spirit of giving, and encourages donations to the Children’s Hospice South West.

The Children’s Hospice South West play a vital role in supporting and creating precious memories for families whose children are living with life-limiting or life-threatening conditions. With very little government funding, they rely on the generosity of donations from individuals that really make a difference to the families the hospice provides for.

Image taken from Children Hospice South West Pinterest

The hospice was founded in 1991 by Eddie and Jill Farwell who experienced first hand the deficit of resources, previously having to travel over 4 hours to provide their two Children with life-limiting conditions to obtain the care they needed. Since then it has gone from strength to strength, now having grown to a chain of 3 hospices, providing much needed care all over the South West, but its dependence on donations means continuing support is invaluable.

Coombe Trenchard is delighted to once again support the Children’s Hospice South West with our 2015 Christmas Carol evening. To take a look at the Hospice's website to see what fantastic activities they are up to at the moment, click here.

Join Sarah and the team at Coombe Trenchard to indulge in the festivities, support this worth while cause and experience Coombe Trenchard at its most magical…we would love to see you there!