Dobbies Garden Centres has announced its support for 53 local charities and community groups across the UK through its Dobbies Community Gardens initiative.

This year, the programme received hundreds of applications from deserving causes, with each of Dobbies’ 53 stores selecting a local garden project to support from the nominations received.

Through the initiative, Dobbies’ teams will help bring local projects to life by providing volunteer hours and product donations, including plants, compost, grow-your-own items and essential gardening tools.

The successful groups include a wide range of organisations such as schools, nurseries, care homes and community gardens, all working to create or enhance green spaces within their communities.

One of the projects is Age UK in Folkestone, selected by the Ashford store, which supports the wellbeing of people aged 55 and over. The centre provides a welcoming space for socialising, offering home-cooked meals and a variety of activities for local residents.

As part of its offer, the centre runs a small gardening club where members help maintain the grounds and grow flowers and vegetables for the community to enjoy. The garden plays an important role for their visitors, many of whom are elderly or living with disabilities.

With support from Dobbies, the gardening club will be able to enhance its outdoor space with flowers and shrubs for raised beds and containers, helping to create an even more vibrant and welcoming environment for the local community.

Dobbies’ Plant Buyer, Nigel Lawton, said: “Thank you to everyone who applied to Dobbies Community Gardens this year. We received hundreds of entries from inspiring groups across the country, all with a shared passion for bringing their garden projects to life.

“Selecting the final projects has been incredibly difficult, but we’re proud to support 53 groups nationwide, one for every Dobbies’ store. Through this initiative, we’re helping communities to get growing while creating and enhancing green spaces for local people to enjoy. We’re looking forward to seeing how these projects develop and the positive difference they will make.”

Sandra Gillett, from Age UK Folkestone, said: “Thank you to Dobbies for supporting our visitors' centre where we run a small garden club to grow vegetables and flowers. We are looking for some help to add some flowering plants and shrubs to our raised beds to help add colour and brighten the day of everyone who visits."

For more information on Dobbies Community Gardens and to see the full list of selected groups, visit Dobbies Community Gardens | Dobbies Garden Centres