We are pleased to have joined several horticultural businesses to sponsor, support and provide materials for a charity garden at BBC Gardeners World Live. The garden will support the horticultural charity Perennial and is designed to highlight nature’s seasonal influence on mental well-being.
Other businesses sponsoring the project include Hedges Direct, Marshalls and Rolawn. The garden will be open to the public for viewing from Thursday 15th to Sunday 18th of June at the NEC, Birmingham.
The garden, named “Escaping the Seasons of the Mind”, has been conceived by Lilidh Matthews, founder of the MicroGarden subscription Finding Roots and John Tallis, owner of landscaping and garden design specialists, Outdoor Living Gardens who will be building the garden in collaboration with Tisserand English Gardens and Utopia Landscapes.
The garden is an artistic representation of the journey of the mind and the home into the solace of nature and aims to portray the range of emotions experienced throughout the seasons. At its core, the design encapsulates two crucial aspects: the prevalence of suicides during the autumn season and the sad reality that humans spend a staggering 90% of their lives indoors.
The garden also features 11 Corten Steel Pillars to represent the overbearing nature of the seasons with a bench representing the 12th month of the year and the passing of time.
The project aims to raise awareness/fundraise for the horticultural mental health charity, Perennial which supports people in the horticultural industry, including the businesses sponsoring, with health and well-being, housing and financial support and debt advice.
For Johnsons, which recently became a Platinum Partner for the charity, mental health is a top priority. Marketing and office manager, Eleanor Richardson, said: “We are honoured to announce our contribution to this significant project, providing an array of plants that will enhance the garden’s visual impact and underscore its emotional narrative.
“We firmly believe in the power of nature to heal, inspire, and provide solace, and this partnership with Lilidh Matthews, John Tallis, Outdoor Living Gardens, and Perennial aligns perfectly with our commitment to supporting causes that make a positive difference.”
Victoria McIver, Brand and Communications Manager at Hedges Direct added: “Hedges Direct are proud to be sponsoring Gardeners’ World Live 2023, supplying our hedge plants, trees and shrubs for the wide array of show gardens. We are especially thrilled to be able to showcase our plants in the ‘Escaping the seasons of the mind’ garden for Perennial, in raising awareness of how our well-being can be impacted by spending time outdoors.
We love hearing our customers tell us what joy they find in their gardens, so it’s wonderful to be able to encourage more people to take time out to notice and nurture our green spaces during each season, and in doing so nurture our mental health.”
Posted 22nd May 11:36am
Read more >
Forty employees have achieved over 16 million steps during April as part of a company challenge for Move More April to raise money for Perennial, the UK’s leading horticultural charity.
Move More is an annual celebration that encourages individuals to move more and sit less in their daily lives. Johnsons of Whixley employees involved in the challenge raised over £550 for Perennial and achieved 16.3 million steps in 30 days.
The winning team, ‘Hydrangea’, achieved over 2.2 million steps and included Katie Short, Simon Harrison, Tracey Richardson and Martyn Osbourne. Martyn achieved a whopping 927,841 steps alone.
Other employees involved in the challenge included Jack Witham, Vicky Newell, Hannah Reilly, Freya Lamacq-Wigham, Rob Forrester, Hannah Holland, Katie Burlingham, Dmytro Orlov, Adrian Price, Eleanor Richardson, Katie Rothwell, Sarah Perry, Adam Davis, Matt Campey, Lynda Pearson, Kirsten Morgan, Marcin Czajkowski, Paul Richardson, Tony Green, Sarah Greenwood, Tony Coles, Jo Goodyear, Tom Watkins, Rachael Richardson, Terry Cooper, Karl Connors, Cassie Hasslegrove, Louise Roberts, Isaac Onions, Jonathan Richardson, Anna Sibley, Mark Weatherill, Claire Horner, Catherine Cowling, Chris Edgar and Phil Georgiou.
All staff participating in the challenge received a Johnsons water bottle and certificate, with the winning team members receiving a gift voucher each.
Challenge organiser and marketing manager at Johnsons of Whixley, Eleanor Richardson, said: “I was overwhelmed with the number of Johnsons employees who signed up for this year’s step challenge to raise money for Perennial, it shows how keen we all are to support the UK’s only charity dedicated to helping those in our industry. Benefits from the challenge include team building and improved mental and physical well-being. Walking 10,000 steps a day can reduce the risk of illnesses such as stroke, type 2 diabetes and cancer in particular, not to mention the obvious weight loss benefits. Well done to all involved.”
Phil Swainston, corporate partnership manager for Perennial, added: “Many thanks to all the staff at our new Perennial partner, Johnsons of Whixley, for undertaking their fantastic steps challenge throughout April. It is a great example of how the industry can support the charity, not only through partnership, but also through individual fundraising initiatives to spread our message that Perennial is here for all those working in horticulture that may need our help.“
Posted 22nd May 10:53am
Read more >
