New Thrive initiative launches

Reading-based gardening charity Thrive will be launching their latest campaign - ‘Plant a Difference’- at their great free food and plant festival on Saturday 10th April.

The Plant a Difference campaign is an initiative to raise funds for and awareness of the charity’s work with disabled people, using gardening to help improve physical and psychological health.

The Lord Lieutenant of Berkshire, Mary Bayliss will launch the campaign which will ask people around the country to help a disabled gardener by swapping plants or produce between April and September 2010 and making a donation for each swap. Money raised will be used to send boxes worth £35 full of ready-to-plant vegetables, herbs or perennials, directly to the door of a disabled person to help them discover the benefits of gardening for themselves.

The Plant Festival features a wide array of locally produced food for sale, including jams and preserves and gardening enthusiasts will appreciate the variety of plant and shrubs on sale from local nurseries and specialist growers. The younger members of the community will also be catered for with a range of activities including a bouncy castle and face painting.

Further information about the plant swap can be found on www.thrive.org.uk

The Food and Plant Festival opens at 11am on Saturday 10th April at Thrive’s Trunkwell Garden Project.

By Sandy Felton
www.recklesgardener.co.uk