A MEDICAL charity will host a fundraising VIP garden gala evening at the RHS Malvern Spring festival.

The event will take place within a new outdoor theatre at the Three Counties Showground with guests treated to exclusive access of the show gardens, a champagne reception, Three Counties inspired canapés, live musical performances, speakers including a celebrity gardener, and a money-can’t-buy auction.

The charity, called Cobalt, is raising money for its diagnostic imaging for life anniversary appeal which aims to raise £500,000 to make the latest and best scanning available to people across the Three Counties.

The charity is also celebrating the 50th anniversary since it was founded.

Sam Watson, Cobalt’s fundraising manager said: “We are delighted to be hosting a celebratory fundraising event at the prestigious RHS Malvern Spring Festival, in honour of Cobalt’s 50th anniversary this year.

"Through this event, we hope to raise thousands to help people get faster, safer and clearer scans.

"A new PET/CT scanner will be the first of the next generation of imaging equipment, enabling us to continue offering the very best in patient care and diagnosis to nearly 3,000 people a year, train medical staff in essential new technology and develop our research programme.

"I do hope that our supporters and gardening enthusiasts alike will join us and help to save and improve lives across the Three Counties and beyond.”

The event will take place on Thursday, May 8.

Among the auction lots will be a VIP experience at Herefordshire gardening show, The Garden Festival, with lunch for two with award-winning gardeners James Alexander-Sinclair, and Hannah Genders plus, a VIP tour of Hellen’s Manor.

Also up for grabs will be naming rights to a new species of orchid donated by Orchids of Peter White, a half-day garden consultation with RHS Chelsea Flower Show gold medallist Jane Fearnley-Whittingstall, a garden painting by artist Katharine Dove, and a two night stay at the Abbey Hotel, in Malvern, with Malvern Theatre tickets and a tour of the historic Morgan Sports car factory.

Tickets cost £50 and are available through Cobalt’s website: cobaltevents.co.uk or by telephoning 01242 535922.