The donation of $8,600 to each of the charities means they can provide some extra special services for their clients. At Three Tree Lodge the money will go towards planting a sensory garden for residents with dementia. 

At the crisis centre, the donation will cover costs purchasing and training a therapy dog for families staying at the centre. 

The Rydal Village Association presented cheques to the Lithgow organisations on Monday, November 20. 

Garry Brown, the chairman of Three Tree Lodge’s board, said he was “overwhelmed” by the gift.

“It’s a great effort from a little community like Rydal,” he said. 

“I’m overwhelmed that they would think of us.”

Mr Brown said the money would go towards installing sensory gardens around the nursing home’s new dementia unit, which is in the process of being built. 

“I am sure there will be a little bed of daffodils somewhere in the garden.” 

The manager of Lithgow Community Projects Inc Deonne Kinney said she was “extremely shocked” at the generosity of the donation and “very grateful”. 

“It’s given us really an opportunity to purchase the therapy dog, which others have also donated towards. We would like to thank the Rydal Village Association and everyone who donated very generously.” 

“The dog will be present at both the crisis centre and our Main Street office interacting with clients at our services. People coming to our service are often experiencing lots of anxiety, stress and worry and they can use her to settle and have a calming distraction as well as encouraging attachment.” 

“Anyone who is at the centre, the families who are there, will get to spend time with her in the residence.” 

‘Hope’, a Tamaruke labradoodle who has received three months of intensive training for her role as a therapy dog, will arrive at the refuge next week. 

Since the inception of the Daffodils at Rydal event in 2002, the Rydal Village Association has donated $181,000 of profits to charity. 

Phil Paton, the president of the Rydal Village Association, said that the festival this year attracted the largest amount of revenue from garden entries the festival has ever seen, totalling $40,000, the rest of which will go back into Rydal and cover the costs of the festival. 

“It’s the biggest amount we’ve ever had,” Mr Paton said at the presentation at Three Tree Lodge yesterday. 

“And we have to thank the Three Tree Lodge staff and board members who came out to Rydal and helped us over four days. We couldn’t have done it without them.”