Funds raised for the Greenfingers Charity on last month’s Garden Re-Leaf Day could reach £70,000, the charity has estimated.
More than £50,000 has already been pledged, with the Garden Re-Leaf Sponsored Walk contributing at least £12,000.
More than 120 walkers from garden retailers, suppliers and manufacturers – along with teams from outside the garden industry – walked a sponsored 5-,10- or 20-mile circuit through scenic Buckinghamshire countryside. Starting and ending at World’s End Garden Centre in Wendover for the second year running, participants included teams from Mr Fothergill’s Seeds, Vitax, Hozelock, Great British Cards, Elho, GIMA, HTA, DAC Ltd, Taylors Bulbs, Poplars Garden Centre, DLF Trifolium, Glee, Teleflex, Hornby Whitefoot PR and Kew Green Hotels.
This year also saw the second Garden Re-Leaf Cycle Challenge, in which 29 intrepid bike enthusiasts took on an endurance test of 25, 50, 75 or 100 miles, with Steve Burden, one of the industry’s most popular photographers (pictured, with John Little of Poplars), first across the line.
FUNdraising Days
Across the country, garden centres, suppliers and friends of Greenfingers came together to create a vibrant day of FUNdraising.
Haskins and Thurrock Garden Centre both held special raffles, whilst Ayletts staged a Goodwill Coffee Morning in its Dahlia Coffee House, where visitors enjoyed a hot drink and fun tombola to win prizes. CW Groves Nurseries also held a coffee morning, plus a Gardeners Question Time-style session.
There were Curry & Quiz Nights at the Old Railway Line and Poplars garden centres and more quizzes at Paradise Park, Altons and Perrywood garden centres.
Whitehall Garden Centres donated £1 from the sale of every hot drink and cupcake sold in the restaurant on the day, with a donation of £1 for every planter also sold. A 50p donation from every coffee or tea sold was pledged by the team at Klondyke and Strikes Garden Centre.
Blue Diamond confirmed that £5 from the sale of every Fryers ‘Friend’ rose – the Greenfingers Charity Rose - would be donated on the day, with £1 donated thereafter.
Over at Coolings Nurseries, a behind-the scenes nursery tour took place, with donations from plant sales winging their way to Greenfingers.
The team at the Garden Store-Hillview Garden Centres went ‘green’ for the day, whilst Longacres held a sponsored Static Cyclotron at its Bagshot centre.
On Saturday that week, the team at Rowan Garden Centre took inspiration from the Garden Re-Leaf walk and donned their walking boots for a fundraising walk.
Squires Garden Centres kept the momentum going with its Create and Grow Mother’s Day Planting Weekend (29th – 31st March), with donations from the event going straight to the Greenfingers charity. Another centre making the most of the spring rush will be Sunshine Garden Centre, which will be running special Muddy Boots Gang Children’s activities throughout March. Each session costs £5, with all money raised being donated to Greenfingers.
Supplier support
STIHL held a Garden Re-Leaf barbeque and car wash on April 2, whilst Rolawn hosted various events on the day, including a ‘Mucky Dip’ and cake sale.
Mr Fothergill’s smashed its £10,000 target with a range of activities including the Garden Re-Leaf Cycle Challenge, and an in-house static bike ride that saw the team stack up 167 miles between them. Other activities included a bake sale and the ‘mushy pea challenge’.
The QVC family also continued its support throughout the Garden Re-Leaf weekend, with a £1.50 donation from every plant or product sold during a special Garden Re-Leaf/ Greenfingers show. Presented by Richard Jackson and Simon Biagi, the weekend of programming attracts thousands of viewers, and more importantly, buyers.
Finally, teams from Norton Park Hotel will be holding a summer fete in the hotel grounds on May 27, with all donations going to the Greenfingers Charity. Elsewhere the amazingly supportive team from Kew Green Hotel’s Holiday Inn Chester South site, donned their walking boots to walk to the summit of Mount Snowdon, which stands at an impressive 1,085m.
Greenfingers’ head of fundraising and communications Linda Petrons said: “I cannot thank people enough for their ongoing support and dedication to making Garden Re-Leaf Day such a continued success. Early indications show that we are on track to raise in excess of £70,000 – a truly incredible achievement. I am endlessly touched by the generosity, creativity and selflessness that so many demonstrate, both on Garden Re-Leaf Day, and throughout the year. Every penny makes a huge difference to those that use Greenfingers funded-gardens, so on behalf of them, and my team, the biggest possible thank you.”
