With Garden Re-Leaf Day approaching ever quicker, teams and businesses from across the garden retail sector and beyond are busy making plans for the forthcoming Garden Re-Leaf Day on March 19th. With the event turning 10 this year teams are going BIG with their FUNdraising activities.
Brave the shave
Greenfingers Chairman Sue Allen, along with Millbrook Garden Centre’s Managing Director/Greenfingers Trustee, Tammy Woodhouse, will be saying goodbye to their lockdown locks as they prepare to shave their heads on Garden Re-Leaf Day, all in the name of charity. Joining them will be another Millbrook mother and daughter pair, Jo and Danielle who work at Millbrook’s Gravesend Garden Centre. All donations can be given here: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/sueandtambraveshave
Lands’ End to John O’Groats – twice!
This year Garden Re-Leaf will see two teams tackle the infamous Lands’ End to John O’Groats challenge. The first will be a team made up of representatives from Hornby Whitefoot PR, Deco-Pak, Garden Trade News, Gardenforum, GIMA and Primeur. Walking in their local areas the ‘crew’ will be completing as many miles as they can, with a running total keeping them on track throughout March. Look out for a special video post-event where the team capture the realities of virtual walking! Sponsorship for the ‘virtual crew’ can be given via https://www.justgiving.com/team/LandsEndtoJohnOGroatsvirtualcrew
Multi-discipline landscapers, Scotscape – the latest charity partner of the Greenfingers charity – will also be taking on the challenge. A team of 10 from Scotscape will be tackling 87.4 miles each during Feb 26th – March 19th. The team have set themselves a FUNdraising target of £2,000, with donations welcome via https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/groundscapewalkingchallenge
One Million Step Challenge
Echoing the efforts of the Greenfingers team, Hozelock will also be undertaking the One Million Step Challenge throughout March. Why? Because they want to help Greenfingers raise awareness for the great work they are doing for life-limited children as well as highlighting the physical and mental benefits of spending time outdoors. To show your support of the Hozelock team please visit https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/hozelock, whilst donations to the Greenfingers team – Linda, Holly and Sally – can be made via https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/greenfingersstepchallenge
Garden quiz to test your green knowledge
Greenfingers patron, Anne-Marie Powell, will be joining the team at Evergreen Garden Care to host a special gardening quiz. Designed to test your ‘green’ knowledge, this quiz is open to everyone, with tickets available from Greenfingers Director of Fundraising & Communications, Linda Petrons via linda@greenfingerscharity.org.uk.
10 km for 10 years
Kate Ebbens of Capi UK has pledged to run 10 km on March 19th, with the company throwing their weight behind the challenge with donation of £500. As if that wasn’t enough, Kate has also given up her biggest vice – coffee – for the whole of 2021. To help avoid temptation Kate is donating £1 to Greenfingers for each day she goes coffee-free! You can make a donation to support Kate’s efforts here http://www.justgiving.com/Kate-Ebbens2
The Thames Walk
The team from leading trade exhibition, Glee, are – Covid allowing – hoping to tackle a 51 mile stretch of the infamous Thames Path, all within a day’s walking. Leading the pack will be Glee’s Event Director, Matthew Mein, who was the originator of the Garden Re-Leaf Sponsored Walk back in 2015. Matthew has completed every Garden Re-Leaf Walk since, racking up 120 miles for the charity to date, one of only two people who have done so!
£1 per pot
The lovely people at Klondyke will once again be donating £1 from every pot sold on Garden Re-Leaf Day.
Mowing Challenge
The teams at Stihl and Sims Garden Machinery will be undertaking a 10-week mowing challenge which will kick off on Garden Re-Leaf Day. More details to follow soon.
Skipping into March
At Perrywood Garden Centre, Hannah Powell and the team will be skipping their way through March. Each day Hannah will be adding one extra minute to her skipping, ending the month on 31 continuous minutes of skipping! You can support Hannah and the Perrywood team here: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/perrywood-garden-centre
Mar-CHING for Garden Re-Leaf
446 children from Kings Hill School in Walsall will each be walking 1km on March 19th to help increase the fundraising total. Whilst the Holiday Inn, Runcorn – part of the Kew Green Hotels Group – will also be marching throughout the month of March to boost the Garden Re-Leaf total. Watch out for the team on the streets of Runcorn as they rack up the miles.
If that wasn’t enough, Holly Parker, Learning and Development Assistant at HTA, has pledged to walk 50 miles every week to support Garden Re-Leaf Day. Go Holly!
Planted with love
Friends at Kew Green Hotels’ Holiday Inn Washington will be joining volunteers from St Oswald’s Children’s Hospice in Newcastle where Greenfingers’ Garden Project Manager, Holly Harrington, has designed a stunning new garden space. Set to be completed later this month, the Kew Green team will be helping to plant out a range of plants and flowers to help add colour, fragrance and texture to the garden.
Free garden design consultancy
The Garden Design Company will see staff donate their salary on Garden Re-Leaf Day whilst Greenfingers Trustee, Rob Jones will also be offering free design consultations (in return for a donation to support the work of Greenfingers) to coincide with Garden Re-Leaf, with 10 consultations already booked!
QVC and its vendors confirm their ongoing support
Supporters of Garden Re-Leaf Day for many years, the QVC family including Richard Jackson and Michael Perry, will continue to use their significant platform to raise funds for the Greenfingers charity. Garden product sales on March 27th will help to increase the 2021 FUNdraising total.
Get involved in Garden Re-Leaf Day 2021
Since its inception in 2012, Garden Re-Leaf Day has been a key event within the garden retail calendar. Each year hundreds of people from across the industry, including suppliers and retailers, come together to undertake an incredible series of fundraising events. During the last nine years the event has raised in excess of £660,000, all of which has gone towards helping the charity design and create magical gardens in children’s hospices throughout the country.
Registration for the 2021 event is now live, and Greenfingers is also on the look-out for sponsors of the event. To find out more please contact Linda Petrons by emailing linda@greefingerscharity.org.uk
FUNdraising ideas for Garden Re-Leaf Day 2021
You will find a host of ideas in the Garden Re-Leaf Fundraising pack but here’s a few ways you can get involved and help Greenfingers to continue creating magical gardens in children’s hospices across the nation:
- Plantathons are perfect for generating some buzz instore whilst simultaneously generating more stock and donating to Greenfingers. Previous events have included 12- and 24-hour Plantathons.
- Hold a virtual quiz, with a minimum donation for all entrants.
- Raffles and tombolas are a great way of getting lots of people involved. Gather prizes from around your store, or ask friends and colleagues to donate prizes, before selling raffle tickets ahead of the grand unveiling of the lucky winner!
- Cake sales and coffee mornings – are simple yet effective FUNdraisers.
- An online auction is a great way to raise funds and involve your friends and colleagues
- Team up with friends and colleagues to complete a virtual walk or cycle challenge. Set yourselves a target – 100 miles for example – and work together to achieve it. Walk around your local area, on a treadmill, whatever it takes! Keep in touch via Zoom to keep the group enthusiasm going!
For more FUNdraising ideas or to obtain a copy of the 2021 fundraising pack drop Linda a line – she’d love to hear from you.
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For more information, interviews or images from Garden Re-Leaf Day please contact:
Linda Petrons by email linda@greenfingerscharity.org.uk or call 07908 221240.
Kimberley Hornby by email: kimberley@hornbywhitefootpr.co.uk or call 07851 610573.