Perennial, the UK’s only charity dedicated to helping horticulturists, is launching a year-long awareness and fundraising campaign to mark its 175th anniversary in 2014.
It will kick off with at a party at The Roof Gardens, Kensington on 17 January. Perennial is looking for support from all corners of the industry as well as from the garden-loving public, to safeguard its services for those struggling with disability, debt or illness.
Established in 1839 by a group of wealthy landowners who wished to provide for their long-serving head gardeners in retirement, The Gardeners’ Benevolent Institution began life as a pension fund. It soon attracted the attention of Victorian high society, who willingly supported the fund with annual donations and appearances at its annual fundraising dinner. Charles Dickens famously said at the 9th annual event: “I hope the day will come when every gardener in England will be a member of the charity.”
Perennial, as the same Institution is now known, still helps gardeners across the UK in retirement and has extended its reach to all professionals working in and retired from horticulture and their families. But Dickens’ dream is yet to be a reality – there are an estimated 500,000 people working in horticulture in the UK but only a fraction of those are actively involved with the charity.
Richard Capewell, Chief Executive of Perennial, said: “The work of Perennial – which is often described by those we help simply as a ‘lifeline’ – is needed now more than it ever was. The economic pressures on low-paid horticulturists too often result in debilitating stress. A high rate of injury, and subsequent long-term leave of absences, means that many workers in our industry struggle to make ends meet. We’d like to be able to help even more people this year and are looking for industry support to make our 175th birthday a really special one.”
The charity no longer provides regular pensions, but does still provide a range of financial services to people experiencing hardship, and in the current economic climate is needed more than it ever was. In 2012 Perennial helped over 1,000 people, over 85% of whom were still of working age and a quarter of people needed help with debt. Perennial helps with debt advice, financial and general support, and often simply as a listening friend who can help make sense of a situation.
