VISITORS to Newbank Garden Centre got to meet popular television gardening expert Charlie Dimmock on Sunday (June 20).

The star of Groundforce spent three hours filming at the Bury Road centre in Radcliffe for her new series, Charlie's Army.

It was a hush-hush visit and customers understandably could not believe their eyes.

Co-owner Mrs Frances Bottomley, 44, said: "We couldn't publicise the filming in advance because it might have attracted too many people, but those customers who were there got a very pleasant surprise.

"Charlie was very nice and really friendly, particularly with the children.

"She didn't mind signing autographs and posing for pictures."

The BBC approached the company a few months ago for permission to do location filming for the new programme, which will be shown in the autumn. Mrs Bottomley said: "Charlie is designing a Chinese roof garden for a new housing development for the elderly Chinese in Manchester's Chinatown.

"We were really chuffed that they came to us. The researcher had been to our garden centre and found us to be the best place to find large specimen plants and lots of examples of more exotic plants and grasses.

"Also, the site is extremely 'filmable' due to the scenic layout."

Charlie was particularly interested in the range of bamboo and Japanese grasses featured in Newbank's display Japanese garden, and she chose those for the planting scheme.

But one thing Charlie, pictured with one young shopper, and her crew did not count on was the English summer!

"We supplied them with macs and umbrellas as they dodged the torrential rain, trying to film against terrible weather conditions," said Mrs Bottomley.

Newbank is becoming something of a television star in its own right.

Last year it featured in Groundforce when Charlie and her colleagues replanted a Prestwich courtyard.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.