For nearly six years, the remarkable team at Evergreen Garden Care has been tirelessly fundraising for the Greenfingers Charity. Their dedication has now reached a significant milestone, with over £100,000 raised. They aren’t planning on stopping anytime soon, however, as it has been confirmed that the fundraising partnership has been extended until 2026!
Since 2019, the team at Evergreen Garden Care – the people behind the MiracleGro®, Levington®, Round-Up®, Weedol® and Clear® brands – have gone above and beyond to help bolster their fundraising total. From taking to the skies atop a plane and climbing the nation’s highest mountains, to delicious treats, gifts in kind and volunteering time, their activities have been incredibly varied and enabled staff from across the country to contribute to this amazing feat of generosity.
FUNdraising with Evergreen Garden Care
Key highlights have included Mark Portman, along with GIMA’s Vicky Nuttall and STV’s Lowri Turner, braving the very first Greenfingers Wing Walk. Elsewhere, a group of 15 travelled the length and breadth of the country to climb the tallest mountains in Scotland, Wales and England as part of the Three Peaks Challenge, doing so in less than 24 hours!
All that adrenaline-based activity certainly called for a sweet treat, with representatives from across the business showcasing their baking skills with cake sales and bake-off style competitions throughout the year.
Evergreen has also been very well represented at Garden Re-Leaf Sponsored Walk and Cycle Challenges over the years, with a new team signed up for the 2024 event. You can also expect to see Evergreen’s competitive side with a crew lined up for the forthcoming Greenfingers Dragon Boat Race.
Product for gardens
It’s not just about people power, with product also forming a huge part of the company’s support of Greenfingers. Recognising that gifts in kind and product donations can greatly assist development of the many therapeutic garden spaces created by Greenfingers, the team has donated benches made from recycled compost bags to a number of projects, plus a pallet of peat-free compost to every Greenfingers garden created since the start of 2019.
The journey to 2026
With three more years of fundraising ahead of them, Evergreen Garden Care has agreed to donate a fixed sum to the Greenfingers Charity through sales of its Miracle-Gro® growing media, until the end of 2026. This sum will be made up of both cash donations and product to support the creation of new gardens, as well as supporting the charity’s Garden Makeover and Garden Re-Fresh programmes.
Colin Stephens, Evergreen Managing Director, said “Our commitment to this meaningful cause remains unwavering and I am thrilled by our ongoing fundraising partnership. Together, we will continue to nurture gardens that bring joy and solace to the lives of life-limited children and their families, and we look forward to making an even greater impact in the years to come. Thank you to our remarkable team for their dedication to making a difference and to the Greenfingers Charity for the invaluable work they do.”
Linda Petrons, Director of Fundraising & Communication at the Greenfingers Charity added: “Evergreen Garden Care has proven time and time again that there are no limits to their generosity. They have consistently come up with new ways to support our work and are superb ambassadors for the charity. It’s been a joy to work alongside them and we are so pleased to see this partnership extend for more years to come. Our biggest thank you to each and every one at Evergreen for their support, it means the world.”
Seeing it through children’s eyes
As such active fundraisers, it would be easy to forgive the team for not having time to see how their hard work pays off in the hospice environment, but this is not the case. A handful of Evergreen fundraisers recently visited The Nook in Norfolk where a Greenfingers garden was reaching its final stages of completion. A highly moving day, the visit enabled them to realise the scale of work that goes into creating these hugely important garden spaces and could see firsthand how the children, their families and staff at the hospice enjoy the space, even during construction.
Summing up the day perfectly, Evergreen’s Jess Nicholson said: “After visiting The Nook and seeing the facilities and services that they offer to not just the children, but also their families, really struck a chord. It is safe to say it was an incredibly emotional day that brought us both gratitude and a newfound understanding of the differences these hospices make. To know that our efforts to raise money for this beautiful hospice garden was amazing. I would, with no hesitation, happily climb those mountains and break a toe all over again to see the difference it makes. This space will not only serve the children, but their families the staff and wider community for generations to come. And well, that really is just magical isn’t it.”
Find out more
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