VISITORS can enjoy the ambience of a picturesque Dorset estate at an open garden day and raise money for a Weymouth historical site at the same time.

Highwood Garden at Charborough Park, Wareham, is open on Saturday, May 12 between 2.30pm and 6pm, raising money for the Nothe Fort in Weymouth,

People will be able to enjoy a woodland walk and look out for bluebells.

Charborough is a traditional rural estate. First recorded in the Doomsday Book, Charborough has a rich and colourful history and is now host to an increasingly wide range of activity.

Parts of the estate stretch from Wareham and the edge of the Isle of Purbeck to the south up to the River Stour to the north.

The Highwood Garden, containing a superb collection of rhododendrons and azaleas in a woodland setting, is opened for a number of days each spring in aid of local and national charities.

Nothe Fort was built by the Victorians to protect Portland Harbour and is one of the best preserved forts of its kind. The advances in technology that affected the fort are explained through many displays, exhibits and audio visual facilities located on the ramparts, gun decks and maze of underground passageways.

The fort is continuing to develop its facilities and looking to attract new community events and private hire.

*Highwood Garden supporting Nothe Fort, Sunday, May 12, 2.30pm to 6pm. Entry is £5 for adults, £2.50 for children. Cream teas will be on sale for £3 per person and there will be stalls to browse. No dogs are allowed, only guide dogs.