WELCOME to The Westmorland Gazette Gardening Club which provides a wonderful opportunity for the gardeners of the North West to get together to exchange ideas and information and to make new friends - while reducing the cost of their gardening.

Benefits: A regular newsletter will be produced detailing all Gardening Club events and special offers on seeds, plants and products.

l Information on special rates for Westmorland Gazette Gardening Workshops and show and garden visits, along with a free written gardening advice service for Gardening Club experts.

l Special discounts on Westmorland Gazette special reader gardening offers.

How to join: Membership of The Westmorland Gazette Gardening Club is open to all.

The once-only membership fee is £10 and new members receive free seeds and entry vouchers to open gardens to a value in excess of the joining fee - so membership really costs nothing! You can join by filling in and clipping out the coupon or by writing to The Westmorland Gazette Gardening Club, PO Box 50, Ripon, North Yorkshire HG4 3XD enclosing the membership fee of £ 10.

Alternatively, call the membership hotline 01765-698888.

(Please make cheques payable to Greenfingers Club Limited).

Free question and answer service: All members of The Westmorland Gazette Gardening Club are entitled to use the free Question and Answer Service.

This covers all gardening topics from the construction of features such as rock gardens and pools to plants and seeds as well as pests and diseases.

Questions about gardening and the law cannot be answered.

Questions concerning garden design will only be handled if they can be answered in written form, ie this does not include a garden planning service.

Unfortunately, it is not at present possible to provide gardening advice over the telephone.

Seeking advice: There are three ways of contacting the Gardening Club for advice.

l Write to: Gardening Advice, The Westmorland Gazette Gardening Club, PO Box 50, Ripon, North Yorkshire, HG4 3XD.

l Fax to: Gardening Advice, The Westmorland Gazette Gardening Club, 01765-698241.

l E-mail: advice@gardening-club.com

Providing information: We require your name, address, telephone number and Gardening Club Membership Number* in addition to your question.

If you wish to submit plant or disease samples, please make sure that they are securely wrapped.

Plant material travels best in the post wrapped in paper kitchen towel placed in a polythene bag and then packaged in a box or padded envelope.

*Please note: Questions that are not accompanied by a valid Gardening Club Membership Number cannot be answered.

The Westmorland Gazette reserves the right to publish the most interesting and topical questions.

These will not include any indication of the questioner's identity.

A club for all seasons: Gardening is the latest fashion to sweep the country.

No longer the preserve of the retired, everyone from school children to professional career-minded people are becoming hooked on this wonderful hobby.

Meeting and exchanging information with other gardeners is the finest way of learning about local practices and conditions.

The Westmorland Gazette Gardening Club will become a major forum for local gardeners and provide great opportunities for friendship, fun and economical gardening whether you are a beginner or ardent exhibitor.