Popular garden centre raises more than £4,500 for Dorset Mind
Haskins Garden Centre in Ferndown has raised £4,548.03 for its charity partner, Dorset Mind.
The garden centre selected the local mental health charity as its charity to support in 2017. Employees at the centre raised funds and awareness for the charity by hosting events throughout the year as well as participating in individual charitable challenges.
During 2017 the garden centre held two popular Quiz Nights and also collected donations in its Wishing Well and Fountain Coins, coins thrown into the centre’s outdoor water features. Throughout December, the centre also held a Christmas Family Night and Christmas Shopping Night to encourage donations for the charity.
Ferndown’s centre manager, Simon Hallam, took part in the Brighton Marathon in April 2017 to further raise funds for Dorset Mind. Simon said: “We are delighted with the final amount raised for Dorset Mind. We worked hard within the centre to raise money for them through a range of activities and help raise awareness of mental health issues across Dorset.
“Completing the Brighton Marathon for the charity was a personal highlight of the year. I raised £250 for Dorset Mind off the back of this challenge and I would like to thank everyone for their generous support.”
Dee Swinton, marketing manager at Dorset Mind, said: “One well-known benefit of gardening is the ability to enhance people’s mental health and wellbeing, so it seemed a natural partnership working with Haskins Garden Centre right from the start.
“We’re over the moon with the amount Haskins has raised – this considerable donation will go towards helping us support and educate local people to recover and live with mental health challenges. As an affiliate of Mind, we have to create successful fundraising partnerships with companies to help fund our services. Haskins has not only fulfilled this – they’ve been a pleasure to work with too. We’d like to say a heartfelt thank you to Simon and his superb staff for being so enthusiastic and passionate about raising funds.
“We’ve participated in many events at the centre throughout the last year from bucket-collecting, to quiz and music nights. The Ferndown centre also generously donated us Easter and Christmas cakes and toy reindeer to sell, as well as holding two Christmas evenings with mulled wine and festive hampers to raffle.”
Notes to editors:
Dorset Mind is a mental health charity that has been supporting local people with mental health difficulties since 1946. They educate, challenge stigma and provide support towards peoples’ wellbeing and recovery from mental ill health in Dorset. Although an affiliate of national Mind the charity generates all their income and does not receive direct funding from national Mind or the high street Mind shops.