Perennial is often described as a ‘lifeline’ by the people we help. Your fundraising will make a real and lasting difference to lives. You can read about some of our client’s stories here or watch our short film below. 

What your fundraising will do

£25 pays for a new school uniform for the child of someone struggling to make ends meet

£50 will pay for a care alarm to be installed for an elderly or disabled client

£150 will pay for a TV licence for a client whose only companion is the TV

£200 pays for 10 sessions at a nursery for a baby whose parent is critically ill

£500 will help furnish a flat for someone who was previously homeless

£750 pays the removal fees for a client fleeing domestic violence

£1,000 will buy a new boiler for a family living without hot water or heating

How to get your money to us

Online – The easiest way to get your sponsorship money is by setting up a page via JustGiving

Let us know what you’re up to

Don’t forget to tell us what you’re doing to raise money and send us photos and video of your event. You can share your story on our Facebook page, tweet about it on Twitter, or email hortaid@perennial.org.uk

You can read about some of the people Perennial has helped here →

Need some inspiration in your fundraising for HortAid?
Try one of our ideas below…

• Take part in one of our challenge events in 2019
  • Abseil down the Arcelormittal Orbit– Sat 6 April
  • Marathon Month – June
  • Inca Trail to Machu Picchu  – 6-15 September
  • Great North Run – Sun 8 September
  • Mount Kilimanjaro Trek – 20-29 September
  • Ho Chi Minh to Angkor Wat Cycle – 28 Sept – 9 Oct
  • Royal Parks Half Marathon – Sun 13 October
  • Skydiving – year-round availability

• Become a Perennial Partner in 2019:
  • Find out more about our unique Partnership scheme for companies working in and with the UK horticulture industry

• #GetSporty; organise a football or cricket match, or have a golf day to raise money
  

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• #GetGiving – nominate Perennial as the Charity of the Year for your workplace or company
  

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• #GetFit – Walk, run or cycle to work for a week – you can donate the money you save in transport costs to Perennial AND get sponsored by colleagues to boot!
• There’s a gym outside your window – get out in the garden and get fit in the process – why not ask friends and neighbours if they need a hand in their garden in exchange for a donation to Perennial?
  

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• #GetBaking – hold a cake sale or a tea party in the office, or with your friends
  

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• #GetDressed – dress to impress in your workplace – get going in a superhero costume or morphsuit
  

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• #GetMoving – hold a Zumba session in your office, or dance the night away to raise money for HortAid
  

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• #GetGreen – Recycle your old mobile phones, inkjet cartridges and any unwanted jewellery to Perennial via Recycle 4 Charity and Recyling for Good Causes
• Save on fuel and carbon emissions for the day – use manual equipment instead of petrol power for the day and get sponsored for your efforts
  

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• #GetRid – reuse your unwanted items and hold a bring and buy sale at work to raise money
  

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• #GetOpen – host an impromptu ‘Garden Open’ event with voluntary donations and tea and biscuits!
  

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• #GetGrowing – Put your extra plants, fruit and veg to good use by holding a plant sale outside your house – set up an honesty box with a sign about Perennial asking for donations
  

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• #GetWet – Take part in a sponsored swim, or relive the summer of 2014 and do an Ice Bucket Challenge
• Hand car wash – charge for your efforts, or ask for a voluntary donation
  

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• #GetGlam – wear makeup – nail polish, lipstick, complete with a green wig (or hair dye) – for the day
  

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• #GetGunged – create a gunge tank at work – everyone pays for a vote and the one with the most gets the gunge! Will the boss be gunged?
  

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• #GetDaring – skydive, bungee jump or zipwire for HortAid
• Dare to get going in as funny a way as possible and nominate a friend to join you (use #GetGoingforHortAid on Twitter) –how many people can you join together…

Whatever you do, don’t forget to tell us about it!

Sat 6 April – Abseil down the Arcelormittal Orbit

Experience the most spectacular views of London, whilst dangling in free space, 80 metres above the ground!

Abseiling down the ArcelorMittal Orbit will be an experience you will never forget.

Our abseil instructors will look after you every step of the way.  They will kit you up and look after every aspect of your safety.

Using the safest rigging system conceivable, they will coax you over the edge and on your way to a truly breathtaking experience.

Make sure you savour those moments.  They are truly incredible!

More details on our events page.

June – Perennial’s Marathon Month

We’ve introduced a brand-new virtual event to mark our 180th anniversary, taking place throughout June when the 180th day of the year falls.

We challenge you to walk or run a marathon within a month and the best part is, every step counts. Whether you want to boost your fitness, or simply take a stroll in the summer evenings, the pressure’s off and you can set your own pace.

But for the more competitive participants, there is a leaderboard that tracks your progress with exercise tracking apps should you wish to raise the bar and spur yourself on that extra mile to be the 1st over the finish line, or challenge your colleagues.

More details on our events page.

6-15 September – Inca Trail to Machu Picchu

Machu Picchu is one of the most iconic sights in South America, and the culmination of our magnificent Inca Trail trek through the Peruvian Andes. Join us as we trek this breathtakingly beautiful route through valleys and high passes, scattered with fascinating Inca ruins.

Trekking on Inca-paved paths and steps, our route takes us up through lush cloudforest to the demanding Dead Woman’s Pass (4200m). Continually climbing up or dropping down, our way is steep at times, and the altitude adds to the challenge. We finally come to the Sun Gate, which overlooks Machu Picchu, where your first magical glimpse provides an unforgettable reward for your efforts.

More details on our events page.

Sun 8 September – Great North Run

The Great North Run starts in Newcastle City Centre, crossing the iconic Tyne Bridge, and finishing on the coast line of South Shields. The whole race is live on the BBC. Over 57,000 runners take part in the Great North Run, including many elite athletes and celebrities.

More details on our events page.

20-29 September – Mount Kilimanjaro Trek

Climb the highest freestanding mountain in the world! Kilimanjaro is the highest mountain on the African continent at 5896m. Its snow-capped summit rises high above the dusty African plains; huge permanent glaciers flow down from the summit, spectacular views and beautiful ice formations are the reward for pushing your limits both physically and mentally.

More details on our events page.

28 September – 9 October – Ho Chi Minh To Angkor Wat Cycle

Cycle through beautiful rural landscapes dotted with ruins of ancient civilisations and small towns where Buddhist temples nestle amongst graceful French colonial buildings and ramshackle houses.

Our challenge takes us from Vietnamese Saigon, now Ho Chi Minh City, through the rice-paddies and waterways of the beautiful Mekong Delta into Cambodia. We pedal on through this friendly country towards one of the most impressive sights in Southeast Asia, the Royal Temples of Angkor Wat. The fascinating insight into the region’s cultures, ancient and modern, are a real highlight of the trip.

More details on our events page.

Sun 13 October – Royal Parks Half Marathon

Join the Perennial team running the Royal Parks Half Marathon.

The stunning central London route takes in some of the capital’s world-famous landmarks on closed roads, and four of London’s eight Royal Parks – Hyde Park, The Green Park, St James’s Park and Kensington Gardens – making it a very fitting way to raise money for the charity.

More details on our events page.

Fri 11 October – 180th Anniversary Festival Dinner

Join us for our 2019 Festival Dinner at the Corinthia Hotel in London on Friday 11 October 2019. We are thrilled that Perennial’s President Alan Titchmarsh is confirmed as our guest speaker for our 180th Anniversary dinner in 2019 and in addition to wonderful hospitality provided by the five star team at the Corinthia, your evening will include first class musical entertainment and the popular Perennial Auction. Building on the success of our 2018 event, which raised over £36,000 for Perennial, our anniversary Festival Dinner promises to be a glittering evening of fun, friendship and fundraising.

More details on our events page.

Weekends throughout the year – Skydiving

Imagine standing at the edge of an open doorway in an aircraft flying at 10,000 feet – the noise of the engines and the wind ringing in your ears with only the outline of distant fields below.

Now imagine leaning forward out of that doorway and letting go – falling forward into the clouds, diving down through the air as you start free-falling at over 120mph!

Imagine no more… come and join us! Great to do if you’re celebrating a big birthday, needing an adrenaline fix or need to tick it off your bucket list. A number of airfields to choose from around the UK.

More details on our events page.

Previously in 2019

Tues 29 January – Party for Perennial

Our 180th Anniversary Party for Perennial took place at the wonderful La Goccia restaurant at Petersham Nurseries in Covent Garden, central London.

Read all about how the evening went here.

Highlights from HortAid 2018

12 October – Festival Dinner

Guests at Perennial’s Festival Dinner raised over £36,000 at the revived annual event held on 12th October at the Langham Hotel in London. James Alexander Sinclair hosted the evening and gave a rousing after-dinner speech in support of Perennial and our work for all those in horticulture. Tickets are on sale for the 180th Anniversary Festival Dinner in 2019, which will be hosted by Alan Titchmarsh.

30 September – Go Nuts for Perennial

Thank you to every one who took part, raising over £16,500!

Awards
Fastest male – Winston Woodward (Majestic Trees) 00:43:31
Fastest female – Fern Snowling (Majestic Trees) 01:10:33
Fastest Team – Team Bushy
Slowest Team – Landscape Industry Professionals Facebook Group
Best Dressed – Mudd-Wise-Errs (Rochfords)
Team with the highest average amount raised per member – the Muddy Hoes

Full photo gallery here.

September – Great Wall of China Trek

Perennial’s Director of Marketing & Fundraising Anita Bates and Senior Development Manager Laura Garnett took on a challenge of a lifetime and tackled one of the Seven Wonders of the World – the Great Wall of China. The pair trekked around 70 miles of the Great Wall from Huangyauan to Beijing, raising nearly £8,000 for Perennial.

You can still sponsor them here.

Thurs 18 January 2018 – Party for Perennial

Party for Perennial, which took place on Thursday 18 January at O’Neills in Central London, raised £10,000 on the night. Over 150 people from across the horticulture industry enjoyed a lively evening of networking and celebration with a fantastic selection of raffle prizes and the announcement of Perennial’s fundraising Champions 2017.

Money raised on the night would keep one of Perennial’s 13 caseworkers on the road for just over 10 weeks, safeguarding the tailored one-to-one support the charity gives people in need year-round.

Highlights from HortAid 2017

2 September 2017 – The Urban Hortic takes to the skies

It was third time lucky for Kenny Raybould who, thanks to the weather finally being kind to him, skydived for Perennial on 2nd September, raising an incredible £722.50! You can still sponsor him here.

30 July 2017 – High flying fundraisers raise money for HortAid

Three fundraisers have raised almost £3,000 for HortAid, Perennial’s annual fundraising campaign. Two brave thrill-seekers, Manoj Malde and Gillian Goodson, took to the skies to skydive over Wiltshire, while Brian Hawtin walked an epic 100km in under 24 hours.

Manoj and Gillian, both garden designers, leapt out of a plane at 15,000ft from Netheravon Airfield near Salisbury, both smashing their fundraising targets. On the same weekend Brian Hawtin of Brian Hawtin Landscape Design set out to walk 100km from Canterbury to Crawley in under 24 hours. In fact he finished the gruelling walk in less than 23 hours, which was an amazing achievement.

Read full report here

23 May 2017 – Play the Pitch for Perennial

Gavin Jones were crowned #PlaythePitch Cup winners and Super Cup champions at Leicester City’s King Power Stadium on Tuesday 23 May in a nail biting penalty shoot-out.

Sixteen teams from across the horticulture industry arrived at the home of the 2015-2016 Premier League champions bright and early for the Group Stages draw. The top two teams from each group progressed to the Cup quarter finals, whilst the bottom two went through to the Plate competition. The winners of the Cup and Plate finals then faced each other in a Super Cup final.

The on the pitch action finished with a Beat the Goalie competition, which saw Perennial’s new Chief Executive Peter Newman amongst those who stepped up to take a shot, before heading up to the Walkers Lounge to lead the speeches and trophy presentations.

Many thanks to all who made the day possible: Leicester City Grounds Manager John Ledwidge and team; sponsors ICL, media partner LAPU; Ady Dayman and the tournament officials who volunteered their time. Most of all thank you to the #PlaythePitch teams who played in a such fantastic spirit and helped raised vital funds to support their colleagues.

Read the full report here.

Our official matchday photographer Carl Harrison has a gallery of images available to purchase here.

19 JANUARY 2017 – PARTY FOR PERENNIAL

We hope everyone who came to the Party for Perennial 2017 had an amazing time! We are thrilled that so many were able to attend to help kick start our HortAid 2017 fundraising campaign! We revealed our HortAid 2016 total which was an incredible £162,975 and we’re hoping that this year will be even better!

It was brilliant to see so many of people dancing and enjoying the silent disco! You can view a gallery of images from the event here. We can send you copies of the original files in return for a small donation to Perennial. Email us for details.

The auction and raffle were a great success raising almost £14,000 alone, and our thanks go to all those who donated some wonderful prizes including Birtsmorton Court, Carol Lammas, Square Root Planters, Martha Krempel and River Cottage, London Stone, John Moseley and Nandos! We are still counting the amount raised on the night but initial indications show it is close to £30,000, an amazing amount!

Thanks go to Party for Perennial 2017 sponsors for their generous support: CED Stone Group, Bulldog Tools, the HTA, Bulrush, The Landscape Show and Sodexo Horticultural Services and our media partner Horticulture Week.

Highlights from HortAid 2016

23 July – 9 October 2016 – Broomfield Landscaper Challenge

A group of colleagues and friends from Greenspace Solutions in Leeds (now owned by GRITIT UK) joined forces to raise money for HortAid last year in memory of Alan Broomfield.

Alan, who worked for Greenspace Solutions, died from cancer in 2015 leaving a wife and young son.

The team participated in three events:

• Yorkshire Three Peaks (23 July)
• Yorkshire Tough Mudder (August)
• Yorkshire Marathon (9 October)

Find out more on their JustGiving team page, or sponsor them individually via the links below:

• Adam Ralph
• Nikki Singh-Barmi
• Michaela Walker
• Liam Stead
• Jim Nuttall

18 – 26 September 2016 – Three Peakers Ride Again: Snowdon 2 Lands End

A team of landscapers and nurserymen and women from across the UK cycled from Snowdon to Lands End in just 6 days in September 2016. So far the team has raised over £40,000 for Perennial, a life-changing amount of money that will help us support many more horticulturists struggling to cope with life’s many challenges.

• You can still sponsor the team here

The event was fully supported by top professional guides from Passion In Events (PIE).

The event was sponsored by Bowles & Wyer, Silverland Stone, London Stone and Garden Link. In addition, the challenge vehicles were sponsored by Skidmores, Oakview Landscapes and Thurlow Nunn Vauxhall.

10 July 2016 – British 10K London

James Robbins, Fullers Mill Head Gardener Annie Dellbridge and her son Sam completed the British 10K London on 10 July.

24 June 2016 – Slieve Donard Challenge

A group of Irish horticulturists, led by Doug Thomson, tackled the trek from the coast up to the top of Slieve Donard, the tallest mountain in Northern Ireland.

Along the way, they raised well over £1,000!

11 June 2016 – Tandem Skydiving

A group of intrepid fundraisers – including Gold Medal-winning garden designer Ann-Marie Powell – raised over £4,000 on 11 June!

However, you can skydive for Perennial at any time of year. Watch this video to get some inspiration.

24 April 2016 – Virgin Money London Marathon

The amazing Paresh Raithatha and Andrew O’Brien ran the London Marathon for HortAid in 2016, and between them raised nearly £5,000!

• Marathon heroes raise nearly £5,000 for HortAid
• Running the London Marathon next year? Email our HortAid team

15 January 2016 – Party for Perennial

Our 2016 HortAid campaign got off to a flying start at the Party for Perennial at Skyloft, Altitude London.

The event raised a total of nearly £35,000, with over £26,000 of that for HortAid!

• Record fundraising at Party for Perennial
• Charity Champions announced at Party for Perennial
• Plans unveiled for ambitious cycle challenge
• View our photo gallery (Flickr)

Highlights from HortAid 2015

6 September 2015 – London to Brighton bike ride

Claire and Jamie completed an extraordinary weekend by forming part of a team that cycled a 7-seater bicycle all the way from Clapham Common to the seafront in Brighton! They were joined by our Extreme 3 Peaks team. Between them, they raised more than £3,000.

• Grubby Gardeners complete epic 10-hour, 7-seater cycle
• View our London-Brighton photo gallery

5 September 2015 – Nuts Challenge

Claire Vokins and Jamie Butterworth braved the daunting 7km Nuts Challenge course, near Dorking, Surrey. With over 100 obstacles and lashings of deep Surrey mud, they had a fantastic time!

• View our Nuts Challenge photo gallery

1-14 September 2015 – Go Green for HortAid

Fire engines were pulled, raffles were held, jam was sold, and green custard pies were thrown. Our fool-hardy fundraisers raised almost £10,000 during our Go Green fortnight!

• Orpington school children and Coolings Garden Centre raise £500

12 July 2015 – British 10K London

Our amazing team of runners raised more than £2,270 racing through the streets of London in one of the country’s most popular running events!

2 May 2015 – Skydive for Perennial

Intrepid Perennial thrill-seekers leapt out of an aeroplane to raise over £4,200 for Perennial! While two of our “Grubby Gardeners”, Michael Perry and David Lewis, marked World Naked Gardening Day at the same time…

• Skydiving fundraisers took the plunge

18 April 2015 – Dirty Dozen Races

The Grubby Gardeners got down and dirty for another fantastic mud run in Kent, and raised over £2,500 in the process!

12 and 26 April 2015 – OTT (One man, Two marathons, Two weeks)

Nigel Bowcock, owner of Acre Landscapes Ltd and BALI board member raised over £2,500 running two marathons in a fortnight!

• Brighton Marathon (12 April)
• London Marathon (26 April)
• Nigel Bowcock completes HortAid marathon challenge

15 January 2015 – Party for Perennial

We started the year in fantastic style with more than 300 people attending the Party for Perennial, raising more than £20,000!

• Inaugural Party for Perennial kicks off new year of fundraising
• View our Party for Perennial photo gallery (Flickr, or Google+)

We want to know how you’re planning to raise money for HortAid!

We can support you with publicity, marketing collateral, and help you make sure your fundraising event is as successful as possible.

Fill out the form below to let us know.