Lord and Lady Cavendish have hosted the Holker Garden Festival for the past 22 years and the 2014 event was busier, bigger and better than ever.

They open 25 acres of their estate near the north Lancashire village of Cartmel each year to stage what has been dubbed the ‘Chelsea of the North’. It is a great mix of food, drink, plants and horticultural displays. The wide variety of stalls display the very best in home-grown and home-made, all complemented by the beautiful South Lakes landscape that Holker boasts as its back garden.

The Cavendish family are keen to support the neighbouring communities and consider the festival to be a part of their contribution towards the local economy. This year the festival featured the Cartmel pop-up village, giving visitors the opportunity to sample the artisan produce of local businesses including beer, cheese and, of course, the famous Cartmel sticky toffee pudding.

Lord Cavendish said: ‘We’re into the age of partnership. We must work with our local people and try to do things together. I’m excited about the local economy. I think it’s beginning to shift very fast.’

Jo Fell, of sticky toffee pudding HQ, the Cartmel Village Shop, added: ‘It’s really nice to bring out Cartmel Village, it’s like we pick it up and bring the village with us. And we’ve sold around 500 sticky toffee puddings today!’

Christine Walkden - who hails from Lancashire and is known as ‘the no nonsense gardener’ - was one of the celebrity guests, providing tips and advice to gardeners of all abilities.

She told Lancashire Life: ‘The nice thing about this type of show is that it brings local people together. There is something about gardening that instils optimism. It transcends any social class, any educational level, any political view. Gardening can be done from one single dandelion to millions of acres.’

Christine trained at Myerscough College when it was the Lancashire College of Agriculture and she is currently the resident gardening expert on BBC’s The One Show.

The 59-year-old, who grew up in Rishton, talked passionately about her northern roots. ‘I’m very proud to be a Lancastrian lass, although folk say I can’t talk properly! I love the north. Every time I see Winter Hill when I’m driving up the M6 I tingle.’