A TEENAGER from Mold is organising a bank holiday fundraiser to help improve the lives of vulnerable children in North Wales.

Five gardens in Llanasa will be open to the public on Bank Holiday Monday as part of a initiative to support the NSPCC’s Childline service in Prestatyn.

William Roberts, 17, volunteers at the free and confidential helpline which helps children with issues like bullying, mental health and family problems. He has organised the event for Monday 27 May and has set himself a target of raising £1,000 before the start of June.

In addition to the open gardens in the award-winning Flintshire village, the Mold Alun School student will have a stall at a car boot sale with all proceeds raised supporting Childline.

William said: “Being a Childline counsellor is both challenging and rewarding. I talk with children and young people who have incredible difficulties in their lives and have nobody to talk to.

“However, I know that after summoning the courage to contact Childline three in 10 children won’t get through to a counsellor. This isn’t good enough.

“Childline need to recruit and train more volunteers and the funds I raise will help the Prestatyn base do this.”

Debs Davis, the Prestatyn Childline service manager, said: “Our volunteers in Prestatyn are incredibly proud to give up their time for Childline and make a huge difference to young people’s lives.

“At present Childline can only answer three out of every four calls so events like William’s in the lovely village of Llanasa will be a great help to us.”

The five gardens are:

Glanaber - a stunning one-acre garden created from pastureland and dominated by a rare holm oak. Other features include a large duck pond with island, bridges, arches, wide attractively planted herbaceous borders and footpaths which create pleasant walks.

Golden Grove has an attractive Edwardian terraced garden, walled on three sides, designed by Lady Aberconway on the site of a 17th century walled garden.

The Old Manse has a sloping terraced garden with lawns, herbaceous borders, rockery, small wild flower section and vegetable area.

The garden at Tan y Coed is about one third of an acre, with deep terraced beds growing an interesting variety of fruit, veg, herbs and flowers.

The Old Post Office is a beautiful cottage garden where the owner’s artistic flair creates wonderful structure and colour.

Combined admission to all the gardens is £4 - the cost of answering one call to Childline. Children are free. Teas will be available in the village hall.