C o mmunity Business
CARING FOR THE COMMUNITY
S
Garden centres can play a key role in their local community, and The Gardens Group is an exemplar of this
ardens roup for instance pro ided taff at a doctor’s coffee ouchers to a local litter pic in surgery in Cerne roup. t also opened up one of its arden Abbas can now centres as a enue for the lac ore nd solace in the ale ine co unity rail partnership to surgery’s courtyard. host its oard eetin s. ouise has since A new garden was created eco e a ud e in the awards where in e ory of the late they reco nise and reward the stations r rai Wa eha alon the railway line for how they are who passed away fro presented. he cere ony is then held at in pril the arden centre too. after leadin the practice f they d ha e had to hire a roo they for years. would ha e incurred a cost which is ust tuart e on a e er unnecessary says i e. o it doesn t of the sur ery s atient need to e hu e funds allocated to these upport roup led pro ects it s al ost etter when it s not. the transfor ation of Craig’s Courtyard is a planting project taking shape in memory of ou can ust e a catalyst to ena le the space into a uiet the late Dr Craig Wakeham, who led the practice for 30 years before a pro ect to ta e place. tran uil area for staff passing away following a battle with COVID-19 in April 2020 t its astle ardens site openin up to rest and reflect. or its three sites in her orne eo il and the arden centre as a enue for other plants and ul s he reached out to he ound ury the co pany reaches out for roups has pro ed ene cial in a nu er ardens roup whose store in ound ury and is approached with arious ways in of ways. n what it calls he reen hed orchester was cele ratin its th which it can lend a helpin hand to others. run y ricuro adults with learnin anni ersary that year and was see in t s a cultural part of the or anisation. dif culties chop up waste ti er into co unity pro ects to assist with to ouise and funda entally elie e that if indlin the ost eautiful undles of cele rate. ounders i e ur s and his you do your usiness in an area then you the ost perfect product says i e wife ouise were ore than happy to help. ha e a duty to support that co unity which he ardens roup uys fro the as part of your social responsi ility the and sells in its arden centre. whole tea elie es in this. or i e and ouise this is si ply the Rather than a standalone he tea really en oys ettin way to run a usiness and it s an i portant project, the courtyard in ol ed so it s ood for the tea to part of it. arden centres are part of feel that they ha e the power to e a le the co unity and this is the way he at Cerne Abbas Surgery to o out and help the co unity and ardens roup li es it. ◗ is just one example of that they ha e the ac up of the or anisation to do that. t how The Gardens clearly uilds custo er loyalty Group connects with too which eans we eco e the third place . his co es its local community fro the idea that people would ha e their safe places We didn t want to et in the way of the their ho e their wor and pro ect ut wanted to support it where er then the third place is the local we could says i e. o arden arden centre where they feel desi ner n ela orley who we wor an ownership and loyalty. t closely with went in and put to ether i es us resilience in tou h a desi n for the and then we supported ti es the custo er ase will the pro ect with the plants oin down support the usiness ecause there and settin the out. they now that we will support ather than a standalone pro ect the the co unity. courtyard at erne as ur ery is ust hese pro ects don t ha e to The Green Shed at Castle Gardens, run by Tricuro, provides one e a ple of how he ardens roup or o ort nities or a ts ith earning i fic ties e lar e or costly either. he connects with its local co unity. ro
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Garden Centre Retail April/May 2022
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