A dedicated team from British Garden Centres recently volunteered their time to support St Andrew’s Hospice in Grimsby. The green-fingered crew, made up of James Ducker, Events Manager, Eve Kerrigan, Content Creator, Jill and Phill from Brigg Garden Centre and ambassador Jayne Hickling lent their expertise to revitalise the hospice’s grounds and Greenfingers’ pirate-themed garden.

To maintain the garden’s splendour and ensure it and the hospice grounds continued to be a source of joy, the British Garden Centres team recently rolled up their sleeves to carry out essential tidying and maintenance work. With gloves, shovels and rakes in hand, their weeding and pruning breathed new life into this cherished space.

Created by the Greenfingers Charity in 2018, the special pirate garden offers a safe and therapeutic escape for children with life-limiting illnesses and their families. Originally a grassy area with limited accessibility, the garden was transformed into a magical pirate adventure, complete with sensitive lighting and a wheelchair-accessible water feature, to make a sensory-rich environment where children can explore, play, and have fun outdoors connecting with nature. British Garden Centres played a vital role in the garden’s creation by generously donating plants and ensuring a vibrant and inviting space for young patients and hospice staff.

Michelle Rollinson, CEO at St Andrew’s Hospice said: “We are extremely grateful for the help we have received from the team from British Garden Centres, who have spent today volunteering in the gardens at St Andrew's Hospice. The gardens play a vital part in the environment at the hospice. Our children and adult patients and their families, enjoy spending time in the gardens, being around nature, and spending time outside can significantly reduce levels of anxiety and improve wellbeing.”

Eve Kerrigan from British Garden Centres added: “British Garden Centres are a platinum partner with Greenfingers charity. We’re passionate about their work with building gardens for childrens’ hospices. Over the last 3 years, we have raised £60,000 for the charity and we have a strong bond with them, so wanted to get our hands dirty this time and get out to one of their gardens and help the volunteers create a lovely space for the people who stay here!”

Jayne Hickling, British Garden Centres ambassador and BBC Radio Lincolnshire Gardening Expert also joined the team to volunteer for the day and added: “I’ve been aware of Greenfingers probably for about 3 years now and British Garden Centres support the charity. The idea of gardening for wellbeing, and mental health is really important to me, personally, and enabling people who are going through difficult times actually to have access to green spaces is so important as a way for escape, getting in touch with nature and wellbeing for themselves. When they’re going through, physical trials, being able to just have that time out in a beautiful space is amazing.”

Linda Petrons from Greenfingers Charity said: “We were thrilled to welcome such an enthusiastic team of volunteers from British Garden Centres. The St Andrew’s Hospice garden is a vital oasis for children, their families, and staff, providing a precious space to relax, connect, and enjoy the outdoors. Thanks to the incredible ongoing support of British Garden Centres and so many others, we can continue creating magical outdoor havens in children's hospices nationwide.”