Garden Re-Leaf Day is a great opportunity to raise vital funds for Greenfingers Charity. Last year’s event – the gardening industry’s equivalent of 'Comic Relief' – broke records, raising more than £70,000. Since its inception in 2012, Garden Re-Leaf has raised £600,000 for the creation of gardens designed to enhance the lives of children with life-limiting conditions.
We're really hoping we can beat last year's record!
How to FUNdraise at your Garden Centre or Retail Business
Getting involved really is a win-win situation, with FUNdraising events raising footfall at garden centres, supporting team-building and motivating staff, all whilst generating worthwhile funds. Here are a few ideas to inspire you:
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For an adrenaline-filled challenge, retailers can hold a Great Garden Re-Leaf 12-hour Plantathon. Invite customers and staff to take turns and continuously plant for 12 hours – or nominate one brave person to plant for the duration! It’s great for team-building, and plants potted for the Plantathon can be sold, with a percentage of each sale going to Greenfingers Charity.
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Gardening workshops can run alongside Plantathons, with retailers encouraging customers to buy tickets and brush-up on their gardening know-how.
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Retailers could decide to hold a raffle, cake or book sale, or host a car wash in the car park and donate the proceeds. Invite customers to enjoy afternoon tea in the garden-centre cafes and make a donation from every cup of tea and slice of cake sold.
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Carrier bag tax could be donated to Greenfingers Charity in March.
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For retailers who have in-store activity areas such as soft play or crazy golf, 50p could be donated from the cost of every child who visits on Garden Re-Leaf Day.
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And why not get colleagues into Garden Re-Leaf Day spirits by encouraging staff to wear their best (or worst!) green or floral outfits to work, and asking everyone taking part to make a donation?
Other FUNdraising Event Ideas
2019 will be the fifth annual Garden Re-Leaf Walk, an ever-popular event, which gets underway from Wyevale’s World’s End Garden Centre in Buckinghamshire. Garden centre staff of all ages are invited to take part, with the option of a 10-mile walk or, for eager hikers, a more challenging 20-mile route through the Chilterns. Those who have taken part in the full 20-mile walk since the outset will mark having completed their 100th mile in aid of Greenfingers as they cross the finishing line!
For those who prefer pedal power to donning walking boots, the Garden Re-Leaf Day Cycle Challenge is an excellent way to burn off any lingering excesses from the festive season and raise cash for a great cause in the process. The cycle ride also starts and finishes at Wyevale’s World’s End Garden Centre in Buckinghamshire.
We’ve already created 55 gardens at children’s hospices across the UK and plan to build four more in 2019 – at Claire House Children’s Hospice in Wirral, Richard House Children’s Hospice in London, Little Harbour Children’s Hospice in Cornwall and Grace House Hospice in Sunderland. We're hoping that Garden Re-Leaf day will smash the £70,000 record it hit in 2017. And we’re sure we can do that with your help.
Huge thanks to everyone who has signed up so far!
