British Garden Centres has raised £20,000 in support of Garden Re-Leaf Day. Friday, March 21st, saw the UK’s largest family-run garden centre group organise various events in its 72 stores across the UK.  

Centres held many fun and exciting fundraising events, including raffles, cake sales, bingo nights, quizzes, fancy dress, tombolas, and “Naming” and “Guess the Number of” competitions, providing opportunities for customers to participate and raise money.

Wolseley Bridge held a book sale, Burford House and Charlbury cycled distances on an exercise bike.  Shipley Park hosted a treasure hunt and created a floral selfie box for customers, whilst a team from Ramsgate is doing Tough Mudder South, a gruelling 15km obstacle course in September. At Carr Gate, Leanne (Garden Centre Manager), Fay (Restaurant Manager), and Vikki (Restaurant Deputy Manager) did a 16-mile sponsored walk from the centre to Pugneys Country Park and back.

As well as centre events, a team made up of Ricky Towers (Group Restaurant Director), Libby Stubbs(Marketing & Communications Coordinator), Andy Matthews (Garden & BBQ Buyer), Alan Bright (Tring Centre Manager), Jamie Donaldson (Tring Supervisor), Georgina Trainer, (Roxton Restaurant Manager),Storm Moore (Stevenage Coffee Haven Team Member) and Sam Coxall (Stevenage Restaurant Manager) participated in the 25km Garden Re-Leaf walk from Tring Garden Centre, whilst a 25-mile bike ride was completed by Steve Descombe (Tring Department Manager) – his third time doing the fundraising event.

A team from British Garden Centres' head office, made up of Nick Maw (Copywriter and Online Coordinator), Eve Kerrigan (Content Creator), and Nicola Moore (Customer Service Advisor), brightened up St Andrew’s Hospice in Grimsby by planting hundreds of primroses and tidying the gardens for spring, creating a welcoming area for children and families.

Future fundraising efforts include Leeds organising a sponsored walk on Easter Sunday, Shannon Middleton from Louth tackling the Lincoln 10k run on April 6th, whilst Langlands is taking on the challenge of the Wolds Way, a 10.3-mile walk to Beverley on August 22nd.

The team at Harrogate is currently participating in a virtual walk spanning 650 miles to support Garden Re-Leaf, the distance you'd need to walk to visit all of Greenfingers’ hospice gardens.  So far, the team has completed 435 miles by walking on treadmills at the centre and during their spare time. They aim to finish the challenge by March 31st.

James Ducker, Events Manager at British Garden Centres, said:  "We are so proud that the entire British Garden Centres family has come together to fundraise on Garden Re-Leaf Day for Greenfingers Charity, which is celebrating 25 years of creating magical gardens for children in hospices across the UK. These gardens have touched millions of lives, and we are aiming to smash last year’s incredible £15,000 and continue supporting this amazing cause that gives so much to so many.”

Linda Petrons, Director of Fundraising and Communications, added: “Greenfingers extends heartfelt thanks to every British Garden Centres store and team member for their outstanding efforts during Garden Re-Leaf Day. We deeply appreciate the generosity of the centres, teams, and customers, whose contributions will help us create therapeutic green spaces where families can make cherished memories.”