Charity of the Year partnership to continue

Charity of the Year partnership to continue

Saint Catherine’s and Dean’s Garden Centre in Scarborough are delighted to announce that a charity partnership which started last year will continue in 2021.

The garden centre chose to support the hospice as Charity of the Year early in 2020, but as the pandemic hit, many fundraising plans had to be put on hold.

Jim Cockerton, garden centre manager, said: “This is our busy time and last year we missed out on an awful lot as we were closed during the first lockdown.

“We had a small number of staff in to maintain the plants and look after deliveries, but charity activity had to stop. We’re looking forward to getting it started up in store once again.”

He added that they are planning some of their fundraising activities that have been successful in previous years, such as a book stall and prize draws, plus some new ideas too.

Dean’s Garden Centre, which has centres in York and Scarborough, supported St Leonard’s Hospice in York and Saint Catherine’s in 2010 and between the two raised £16,908.40.

Despite last year’s incredible challenges, Dean’s in Scarborough still managed to raise £1,200 for Saint Catherine’s and the team is keen to build on this during 2021.

Jim said: “Lots of our staff and customers associate with Saint Catherine’s as they know someone who has been cared for by the hospice.”

Susan Stephenson, communications and marketing manager at Saint Catherine’s, said: “We are thrilled that Dean’s has chosen to continue to support us as Charity of the Year in 2021. They are a brilliant and determined team – we really appreciate the continued support from not just the staff but the customers too.”