Richard Keegan, National Field Sales Manager here at Mr Fothergill’s, began his training for the 100-mile Garden ReLeaf bike ride on 16th March with a 5-mile cycle-ride in the dead of night as he was so embarrassed that someone might see him. He came back “knackered” and realised the gravity of what he had just agreed to do!

Matt Jackson ready for anything!

The problem started for Richard soon after Business Development Manager, Matt Jackson, suggested the ride. After agreeing, he realised he didn’t even have a bike, so he had to borrow his partners bike and raise the saddle!

Training has continued and Richard comments: “After buying a little bit of kit – shorts, shoes and helmet – borrowing a bike from a mate and a lot of training rides in the snow, ice, rain and wind (a lot of the last two) I completed my first big ride last Saturday 74 miles. I’m really not sure how the day itself will go, but I am hoping riding with other people will make the whole thing easier but whatever, it’s all for a great cause!”

Richard will be joined by Matt Jackson who ran the 20-mile walking course last year! Like Rich, he has trained hard and has also bought a new bike, lots of winter gear and a turbo trainer! Matt says, “it’s been miserable at times training in this rotten weather but as long as we raise plenty of money for charity it is worth it!”

Richard and Matt are part of the Team Lightning Seeds from Mr Fothergills. They will be joined on the day by 20-mile walkers Tim Jeffries, Jeremy Sharp, Ian Cross, Alison Mulvaney and Chris Owen. In addition, staff at the Kentford HQ will be completing various fund-raising events in the Mr Fothergills HQ

To support the team, visit our JustGiving page by clicking here.

Staff at Mr Fothergill’s entered into the Christmas spirit on 12 December by each paying a fee of £2.00 for the privilege of wearing a Christmas-themed jumper to work.  The national Christmas Jumper Day initiative was set up by the Save the Children charity.

The event at Mr Fothergill’s was organised by Ben Roden, who commented that the company’s directors appeared to have the largest range of ‘tasteful’ knitwear.  The final total raised by Mr Fothergill’s staff will not be known until the proceeds of a raffle are included and counted.

The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) has joined forces with Mr Fothergill’s to offer its own retail range of seeds for the 2014-15 season to boost the charity’s ‘Give Nature a Home‘ campaign, which is inspiring families to create wildlife-friendly areas in their gardens.

The RSPB, the country’s largest nature conservation charity, is inspiring everyone to give nature a home, and has launched a television advertising campaign to make a greater number aware of the extent of its important work and emphasising this message.  The charity’s Geoff Brown said, “We regard our link to Mr Fothergill’s as an exciting opportunity to work with a company which shares the RSPB’s values and to raise awareness of our mission to help and protect endangered wildlife.”

Attractively presented on a dedicated, free-standing display, it presents 16 single varieties, three Four-in-One collection packs and three Shaker Boxes of wildflower mixes.

Each packet or box carries a silhouette icon to show whether the contents attract birds, pollinating insects, butterflies or a combination of the three, all of which the RSPB now seeks to protect.  The charity receives a royalty from Mr Fothergill’s for every pack sold to help its work with British wildlife.

The RSPB seed range is widely available from retail stockists of Mr Fothergill’s throughout the UK.  If you are interested in stocking the RSPB range in your garden centre or retail outlet, then get in touch with us to discuss.

Retail sales of seed of Mr Fothergill’s Poppy Victoria Cross this spring (January to June 2014) have netted more than £24,000 for the Royal Hospital Chelsea, the home of the Chelsea Pensioners, in the centenary year of the outbreak of the First World War.  The Suffolk seedsman has also announced it will continue to support the organisation for at least another four years – until the centenary of the end of hostilities in 2018.  Mr Fothergill’s pledges 25p to the Royal Hospital’s charity from every packet of 250 seeds priced at £1.85 it sells via its retail stockists during 2014.

Presenting a cheque for £24,462.50 to Chelsea Pensioner William ‘Paddy’ Fox, Mr Fothergill’s Seeds joint-managing director David Carey, said “Sales of Poppy Victoria Cross have been phenomenal this spring, making it our biggest selling variety.  It just shows the huge support there is for our former armed service personnel among Britain’s millions of gardeners.”

Royal Hospital Chelsea fundraising manager Kate Marsh said: “On behalf of the Chelsea Pensioners, I would like to say how delighted we are to receive this incredibly generous donation from the sales of Mr Fothergill’s Poppy Victoria Cross seed.   The funds raised will help us to provide the very best care and service to the Chelsea Pensioners, many of whom are taking part in First World War remembrance services across the country this year.

“Our sincere thanks to Mr Fothergill’s for their support and we hope more people are inspired to grow their beautiful Victoria Cross poppies.”

The Royal Hospital Chelsea was established in 1682 by Charles II to provide a safe home for military veterans ‘broken by age or war’, the Christopher Wren-designed Royal Hospital admitted its first pensioners in 1692.  The scarlet tunics and black tricornes of its residents and the Royal Horticultural Society’s Flower Show held in the Royal Hospital grounds every May are equally well known and respected around the world.

Mr Fothergill’s campaign to raise funds for the work of the Royal Hospital Chelsea in the centenary year of the outbreak of the First World War (2014) has undoubtedly struck a chord both with its retail stockists and their customers.

There are 1,000 stockists of the counter-top display units of fund-raising Poppy Victoria Cross around the UK, including Homebase and many leading garden centres.  And with a pledge of 25p to the Royal Hospital Chelsea’s charity from every packet of 250 seeds priced at £1.85, a sum of £11,000 has already been raised just a few weeks after the initiative’s launch.

“The support our campaign has received both from our stockists and from gardeners has been quite remarkable,” says Mr Fothergill’s product manager David Turner.

“We have had to reprint packets and display units to keep up with demand from our retailers.  It is great to know our customers are backing the work of the Royal Hospital Chelsea Appeal”.

Poppy Victoria Cross is remarkable for the bold white ‘cross’ it bears across its single red flowers, which are borne through the summer.  Easy to grow and quick to flower from a spring sowing, this form of Papaver somniferum is ideal for informal borders and cottage garden settings.  Its distinctive ‘pepper-pot’ seedheads are also useful in dried arrangements when flowering ends.

Established in 1682 by Charles II to provide a safe home for military veterans ‘broken by age or war’, the Christopher Wren-designed Royal Hospital admitted its first pensioners in 1692.  The scarlet tunics and black tricornes of its residents and the Royal Horticultural Society’s Chelsea Flower Show held in the Royal Hospital grounds every May are equally well known and respected around the world.

The Royal Hospital’s fund-raising manager Kate Marsh explained “Donations from the sale of Mr Fothergill’s Victoria Cross Poppy will enable us to improve the facilities and living conditions of the Chelsea Pensioners as well as helping us to secure a future for those young soldiers serving in the British Army today”