Thrive Battersea Garden Project annual flower show October 2009.
On 21st October over 200 disabled gardeners gathered at the Exhibition Hall of Battersea Power Station to display their gardening skills and talents.
Thrive received 126 entries from garden projects across London and there were 15 categories which included best basket of home grown produce, best potato-head, a poem about autumn fruits and the biggest pumpkin. There were also entry classes to tie-in with Apple Day including making homemade apple and marrow chutney and toffee apples.
Judges included the Mayor and Mayoress of Wandsworth, Sarah Banham from Batttersea Power Station, Helen Evans from New Covent Garden Market, Chairman and Chief Executive of Thrive and the Baroness Thomas of Winchester.
Thrive’s Battersea Garden Project currently helps over 90 disabled people from south and west London every year. Whatever their challenge in life, Thrive helps them use new skills and improve their health and wellbeing through gardening. Thrive is planning a £839,000 redevelopment of their garden project to significantly increase the number of people they can help. £391,000 has already been raised but there is still another £448,000 left to find.
As ever, the flower show raffle was a highlight of the show, not only raising money for ongoing projects but also providing clients with beautiful and practical gardening materials that will help take their horticultural lives forward. Thrive would very much like to thank the following organisations for their thoughtful and generous support: Books at Transworld, Burgon and Ball, Flower Bulbs, Garden Bird, Goldleaf Gloves, Hortus London and Town & Co
Cocktail party in aid of Thrive on 17 October 2009
The ladies at the Fulham branch of the Women's Institute held a James Bond style cocktail party to raise funds for Thrive.
The WI members are based near the Thrive Battersea Garden Project encouraged guests to come along in Bond inspired dress. The party was at University Women's Club, 2 Audley Square, Mayfair, and tickets cost £25 and include a welcome cocktail, canapes and casino. There was be a raffle and cash bar.
The Thrive Battersea Garden Project open garden and family fun weekend
Over 750 people visited Thrive’s Battersea Garden Project in The Herb Garden in Battersea Park on Saturday 13 and Sunday 14 June as part of London Open Squares Weekend. This peaceful working garden packed with colour, texture and scent with a magnificent new glasshouse, for the first time this year, offered children’s activities including pot painting, face painting and a treasure hunt. There were delicious homemade refreshments on offer and a wide variety of plants for sale including herbs, flowering annuals and salad plants.
Thrive has two gardens in Battersea Park; The Herb Garden near Albert Bridge Gate and the main garden near the sports stadium. These are open to the public to visit 7 days a week. The open gardens and family fun weekend was helping to raise funds for the redevelopment of Thrive’s Battersea Garden Project which will dramatically increase the number of disabled Londoners Thrive can help and expand its work in the local community.
As well as the public event, over 40 people attended a tea party on the Sunday afternoon. Guests included Deputy Mayor Councillor Jane Cooper, Councillors Vanessa Graham, Liz Stokes, Rosemary Torrington, John Hallmark, Jim Maddan and Baroness Thomas of Winchester. Simon Lycett, a well known floral decorator known as "florist to the stars" and Thrive supporter, gave a fantastic floral demonstration at this event and donated his floral displays as raffle prizes. Simon regularly presents on the Alan Titchmarsh Show and this year became one of the BBC presenters at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show.
Susan Stuart, Manager of the Thrive Battersea Garden Project said: "We were delighted with the number of people who visited us to find out first hand what Thrive does and to get ideas and inspiration for their own gardens. I would like to thank everyone who came along for supporting Thrive and to everyone who kindly donated raffle prizes including Simon Lycett, Wicked, Andrew Logan, Eric Lanlard, Real Estate Opportunities and Bronzino."
The photo shows Deputy Mayor of Wandsworth Councillor Jane Cooper and florist Simon Lycett.
Mayor of London Boris Johnson launches 'Capital Growth’ at the Thrive Battersea Garden Project
On 4 November 2008 Thrive was delighted to welcome the Mayor of London Boris Johnson and Rosie Boycott, Chair of London Food, to the Herb Garden in Battersea Park. The occasion was the launch of an innovative scheme to turn 2,012 pieces of land into thriving green spaces to grow food by 2012.
'Capital Growth’ will identify patches of land around London and offer financial and practical support to groups of gardeners or organisations who want to grow food for themselves and the local community. It will be run by London Food Link, which is part of Sustain a charity working for better food and farming to enhance people’s health, welfare and the environment.
Tim Spurgeon, Head of Services at Thrive commented: "We fully support the introduction of more growing space in the city and we hope this will enable more disabled Londoners to get involved in gardening and growing food."
The photo shows Susan Stuart, Garden Manager, Rosie Boycott and Mayor of London Boris Johnson in the Herb Garden.
Find out more about London Food Link