A message from Greenfingers Charity Chairman, Sue Allen
It’s been a challenging time of big changes for us all and I hope this message finds you, your teams and your loved ones safe and well.
The Coronavirus outbreak is affecting us all, right across the gardening and hospitality industries as well as Greenfingers Charity and the hospices we work with. The team at Greenfingers Charity is working hard to ensure that our work continues albeit in a very different way for now.
Our absolute priority at this time is the well-being of our staff, volunteers, supporters, contractors and beneficiaries and we are closely following all Government and Public Health England advice about COVID-19 in relation to the way we work, our garden projects and fundraising activities.
As I am sure you are, we are reviewing advice on a daily basis and regularly reviewing our business continuity plan to ensure we can continue to progress garden projects and raise the vital funds needed for us to continue our work into 2021 and beyond.
Some of you will already know that in line with Government advice, the Greenfingers Charity office is closed and all staff are now working from home. You can still contact the team by calling 01494 674749 or by emailing individuals or via info@greenfingerscharity.org.uk. I know they would love to hear from you so please do keep in touch.
While we will continue to work on hospice gardens that are in the planning stages, we are working closely with hospice care teams to ensure their patients and families are not put at risk. This means that in the short term, Greenfingers Charity projects will be delayed and some work that was due to start in the coming weeks will, we hope, start later in the year or early in 2021.
Our work is only possible due to the generosity of our supporters. More so than ever your support is so important to us and the life-limited children and families our gardens support. And, on behalf of Greenfingers Charity, I can’t thank you enough for enabling the charity to create 59 gardens over the last 20 year.
To ensure the work of the charity in the future, it is important that our fundraising activities continue wherever possible, without of course compromising the health and safety of our supporters, staff or volunteers.
While there are no current plans to cancel events due to take place later in the year, we have taken the difficult decision to postpone the Summer Ball which was scheduled to take place in June. This, along with the effect this unprecedented situation has on our industry, will no doubt impact our income and the work we are able to do in the longer term.
Please do keep Greenfingers Charity in your hearts and minds at what is a very difficult time for all and, when you can, please continue to support us; it will mean so much to us and, of course, the children and families Greenfingers Charity gardens support.
Please do keep safe and well in the weeks and months ahead.
Sue Allen
Voluntary Chairman, Greenfingers Charity
To find out how you can make a donation, please visit www.greenfingerscharity.org.uk/donate. And please don’t forget to support the industry’s favourite charity when you shop on Amazon Smile.
