Garden Re-Leaf day, the UK’s biggest garden retail charity event in support of Children’s hospice garden charity, Greenfingers, was last night hailed a success by the organisers and participants in attendance at the GIMA awards ceremony.
Over 230 garden centres, suppliers and industry supporters, driven by A-list celebrities and TV gardening experts, who all helped to raise a total of over £60,000.
Garden Re-Leaf Day, now preparing for its fourth year, is seeing more and more interest as it continues to grow in the public eye. This year, celebrities such as Alistair McGowan, David Tennant, Jude Law and Naomi Harris got involved, helping to attract a record number of participants from within the gardening industry.
The biggest donations from garden centres came from Hillview, The Garden Centre Group, Webbs of Wychbold and Barton Grange.
Millbrook garden centre won the opportunity to host David Domoney as he gave talks and joined in workshops with customers and their families. This helped the centre raise over £1,500, just ahead of similarly large donations from other independents, Longacres and Ayletts Nurseries.
Big name manufacturers such as Gardman and Scotts took part in the ‘Loose Change’ promotion – a new initiative whereby suppliers purchased stickers to place on packaging to show how much of the proceeds would go to Greenfingers. Other manufacturers teamed up with Richard Jackson’s QVC show, raising an incredible £25,000.
Garden Re-Leaf Day founder, Boyd Douglas-Davies thanked all who took part: “We are so grateful to everyone for making Garden Re-Leaf Day 2014 a success, as we look forward to making next year even bigger and better.”
The money raised by Garden Re-Leaf Day will go towards Greenfingers’ Rosy Cheeks Appeal – which aims to raise £750,000 to build at least ten more hospice gardens over the next two years.
