Well known as one of the UK’s largest suppliers of plug plants, seeds, bulbs and accessories to the consumer market via mail order and online sales, Gardening Direct has donated a large quantity of bean seeds to Thrive, the charity that uses gardening to help disabled people, for a new national competition to be called BeanFest 2010.
Says Gardening Direct Product Development Director Tony Milne “We are delighted to be working with Thrive on the BeanFest competition. If just one disabled person discovers the joy of gardening through planting our seeds and watching the plants grow, it will all be worthwhile.
Nicola Carruthers, Chief Executive, Thrive added “Gardening can change people’s lives by making them feel happier, more confident and healthier in so many ways. It not only improves emotional health through being outdoors and working with plants but also physical health. We hope that this competition will reward and recognise disabled gardeners skills and achievements and encourage others to carry on or take up gardening.
The bean seeds have been distributed to groups of people Thrive works with including garden projects that work with disabled people and people affected by stroke or heart disease across the UK.
If you work with disabled people or are disabled yourself and would like to enter this competition, please call Thrive on 0118 988 5688 for your two free packets of bean seeds and the competition guidelines.
The BeanFest 2010 competition is to win free plants to the value of £200 from Gardening Direct. Competitors have been given instructions on how to plant the beans for optimum growth and tips on choosing an unusual container. By the closing date of Monday 12 July, entrants need to send in details of themselves along with photographs of the beans, the container and the group involved in growing the seeds.
The judging will be held at the Thrive’s Trunkwell Flower Show in Reading on July 15.
Gardening Direct offers a large collection of unusual, premium quality plug plants, supplied direct from grower to gardener at the optimum time for planting and maximum growth. Their comprehensive website is at www.gardeningdirect.co.uk
Thrive is a small national charity which enables those touched by a disability to transform their lives through gardening. Thrive uses gardening to help improve the quality of life for those with dementia and mental health issues, rebuild people’s life after strokes, accidents or a heart attack and helps people to carry on gardening as they get older. For more information go to www.thrive.org.uk and www.carryongardening.org.uk.
With a vision to enable those touched by a disability to transform their lives using gardening, activities are focussed on championing the benefits of gardening to individuals and organisations, as well as teaching techniques and practical applications so that anyone with a disability can enjoy gardening.
Source: Gardening Direct
