A GARDENER who organises charity plant sales is celebrating hitting the £10,000 mark in memory of his father who began the initiative.

The monthly sales, which have been held at village halls across north Wiltshire and the Market Cross in Malmesbury, were the idea of Stuart Jackson’s father Richard who was a keen gardener.

Richard began the sales as a way of raising money for the Brain Tumour Charity after he lost his wife, Ann, in 2012.

He had the dream of raising £10,000 for the charity but died in March before hitting the target.

Stuart continued the legacy and reached the milestone in Oaksey last month.

He has described how “chuffed” his father would have been to see his target achieved.

“Oaksey is where dad came from so it was quite emotional”, said Stuart.

“Dad planned every sale up until that one so I think destiny made it that way.

“He was always a keen gardener and would grow all the plants we sell.

“He’d be over the moon. When we lost mum he wanted to make that target, that was his aim.”

Stuart said that he hopes to continue that plant sales next year but not on such a big scale and thanked the people who have helped to make the sales a success, Jeremy Jackson, Daphne Blake and Lesley & Dave Jones.