A FORMER international tennis player is opening her Beoley garden to the public this month, to raise money for an unusual charity.

Helen Barker, who played tennis at Wimbledon and for Great Britain in the early 1950s as Helen Fletcher, is organising the open garden event at her house on Bleachfield Lane in Beoley for the Hounds for Heroes charity.

She said: “Like going on to court and fighting for every point, I am now fighting for every pound, once again my fighting spirit has taken over.

“Most of the forces men and women who benefit from Hounds for Heroes are operated on at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, which is 12 miles from where I live.”

The charity trains and provides puppies as assistance dogs for disabled members of the forces and emergency services.

The open garden will not only give visitors the opportunity to see the garden in all its glory, but there will also be a raffle, tombola, plant, cake and book stalls, and treasure hunt for the children.

The event is taking place from 10.30am to 4.30pm on Saturday, August 4 at Longfield, on Bleachfield Lane in Beoley. Entry for the event is £2.50 per adult, which includes tea or coffee, and cake or a biscuit. Children can enter free of charge.