Mega Plant-athons for Garden Re-Leaf Day
Published: 14 March 2017 - Jenny Wonnacott
The Garden Re-Leaf Day Plant-athons this year will look to bring an added element of excitement to garden centres when they begin towards the end of next week.
Father and son Richard and Robbing Cumming will be teaming up to take part and live-stream a 24 hour Plant-athon at Orchard Park
Featuring inter-store competitiveness, a father and son team, and tests of stamina and speed - this year’s participants will be looking to raise more than £23,000 for Greenfingers.
Supporting the event nationwide are Elho - supplying pots, and Floramedia – suppling labels – both boosting value to every plant being sold during and after the plant-athons.
Event founder Boyd Douglas-Davies will be taking part in the Garden Re-Leaf Walk on the day as well as upping the ante with 'Mega-thons' taking place in every one of his 11 Hillview garden centres.
He explained: “This year I really wanted to get all my teams involved in the fundraising. And because I’m so nice I decided I’d let them off the 24hr aspect… and get them all planting from 9am on Garden Re-Leaf Day! Each Hillview store will plant 101 spring containers and then the race is on to see which store can sell them the fastest! As a group we’ll plant 1,111 containers so it’s going to be more than a grand effort!”
Orchard Park, which held its first Garden Re-Leaf Day event last year, is pushing itself even further this year with the 24 hour Plant-athon challenge. Managing director Richard Cumming is going to be joined by his son Robbie of Hornby Whitefoot PR, who will be live-streaming the event in his role as Garden Re-Leaf Day social media manager. Catch his updates on Twitter @GardenReleaf and Facebook: www.facebook.com/gardenreleaf.
The father and son duo will be taking part in a relay with other members of Orchard Park, including managers Gavin and Clairey as well as customers, friends and family.
Klondyke team members will also be taking part, with Bob Hewitt joining colleagues Abbie McHolm, David Yardley, David Abbott and Karen Feeney joined by Greenfingers supporter and newly appointed ambassador for the charity, Andy Bunker of Alton Garden Centre.
All of the money raised from the plant-athons will be going towards Greenfingers' 'A Million Moments Appeal'. This aims to raise £1million to enable at least 5,000 children who spend time in hospices and their families to spend time together outdoors.