Join the Glee to Monte Carlo Banger Rally
The inaugural Greenfingers Glee to Monte-Carlo Banger Rally is an exciting new event that will see teams from across the industry pitch themselves against each other to travel from Glee at the NEC Birmingham to Monte Carlo on the French Riviera - in a car worth no more than £500!
The rally, which will be about fun with a touch of adventure rather than speed, will leave the NEC on the final day of Glee 2019 (Thursday 12 September), and will return to the UK on Sunday 15 September.
Interested parties are invited to email director of fundraising & communications Linda Petrons, linda@greefingerscharity.org.uk, or call 01494 674749/07908 221240.
Power tools giant Stihl choose Greenfingers as its Charity of the Year
Stihl, the global power tools brand with products in operation in more than 160 countries, will be raising funds after staff voted for Greenfingers to be the company’s charity of the year for 2019.
Details of fundraising events are being finalised, but Stihl staff are expected to get involved in Garden Re-Leaf Day, among other activities.
Woodlodge back in action
Woodlodge’s Richard Newton, who in 2017 undertook a daredevil parachute jump with colleague Abigail Stocker and raised around £2,300, is on a mission to generate even more this year, through a Captain’s Charity Golf Day at Erewash Valley Golf Club in Derbyshire on 19 July. “As captain, I can pick my charity of the year, and as an ambassador for Greenfingers, it was an obvious choice! All funds raised from the day will go to Greenfingers,” he said.
Erewash Valley is a manicured championship golf course featuring tree-lined fairways, set in 165 acres of parkland. Teams can register to compete for £160, while sponsorship options priced at £50 per hole are available. Email RichardNewton@woodlodge.co.uk for details.
Woodlodge’s support Greenfingers with signs and banners for events throughout the year and its bespoke flower pot (SRP £9.99, with 50p donated for each pot sold) continues to raise vital funds.
Greenfingers supporters are ‘winging it!’
Three brave souls will be taking to the skies on June 2 in an effort to raise £20,000 for the Charity. Each will be strapped to the roof of a bi-plane for a 10-minute exhilarating wing walking experience. Featuring fly-pasts, zoom climbs, steep dives and banks, the participants will have a bird’s eye view of the Wiltshire countryside at speeds of up to 100mph.
Good luck, then, to, Mark Portman, MD of Evergreen Garden Care, Vicky Nuttall, director of GIMA, and Lowri Walker, national account manager at SBM Life Science. A fourth spot was available at the time of writing for anyone with a desire to feel the wind in their hair. Prospective donors and sponsors should visit this site https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/gima-wing-walkers
Special product promotions raise essential funds
A number of suppliers have confirmed their ongoing support of the charity through dedicated product promotions.
Garden décor manufacturer Vivid Arts has announced its first product tie up for Greenfingers with the launch of its new rabbit figurine. Launched at Glee, it is equipped with a garden spade and bears the trademark Greenfingers green gloves. Withnm£1.67 from every sale being gifted, it is earmarked to raise £16,000. A special rabbit collection box has also been created for the checkout. Contact Greenfingers directly if you’d like one.
UK Doormat suppliers Primeur will donate £1 from each sale of its special Christmas doormat featuring five festive robins adorned with bobble hats, supported by a dedicated display unit.
The Great British Card Company, which raised more than £19,000 for the charity in 2018, will be looking to repeat this success with 10p from the sale of every card in its new Floreo range of photographic greetings range featuring 58 beautiful designs, including wildlife, floral displays and stunning quintessentially English landscape going directly to Greenfingers. It has also created special Notecard Packs supported by a dedicated Greenfingers-branded table top dispenser, with 20p to Greenfingers for every pack sold throughout 2019.
Under the expert eye of auctioneers, W & H Peacock, brands that have donated stock to the ‘Old to Gold’ scheme, which sees old or unwanted stock auctioned off to raise funds for the charity, raised in excess of £40,000 in 2018, with Gardman a key donor.
Cyclists sought for coast-to-coast charity ride
Regular Greenfingers fundraisers Kew Green Hotels, have pledged to raise £200,000 as 50 cyclists take on a 170-mile cycle challenge.
The Coast to Coast ride, which will take place on Monday 13 and Tuesday 14 May, will see cyclists follow the Way of the Roses route, which runs from Morecambe in the west to Bridlington on Yorkshire’s east coast, along traffic-free paths, on-road cycle lanes, country lanes and quieter roads. The challenging but hugely rewarding route reaches 403m (1,312ft) on the B6265 at Greenhow Hill.
Thorough preparation is essential, as high terrain can be exposed to poor weather. Cyclists who are keen to push their limits and raise money for a great cause should email linda@greenfingerscharity.org.uk to find out more.
GIMA rallies the garden industry to support Greenfingers
The Garden Industry Manufacturers’ Association is again throwing its weight behind Greenfingers in 2019 with a series of fundraising events, including the GIMA Golf and Activity Day on 6 June at the Telford Hotel and Golf Resort while the charity is also set to benefit from the GIMA Awards on 4 July at Celtic Manor in Newport.
