Far more than your local garden centre, Thorngrove offers something rich and precious for the whole community, says Kelsi-Dean Buck.
Spring has well and truly arrived and we couldn’t be happier! The sunnier days bring a Vitamin D and mood boost which has been greatly missed during those winter months. After the storms of February, we’re delighted that March brightened up, and we’re certainly finding more reason to be outside in the our gardens.
After a month of beautiful snowdrops and daffodils taking centre stage, it won’t be long before more spring plants start to make themselves known. From Tulips and Lilies to name a couple – and of course, the Roses
will start to bloom before we know it!
Children’s events are back
At Thorngrove in March we were delighted to announce that for the first time since before the pandemic, events for children are returning to the garden centre this Easter half term!
We can’t believe it’s been over two years since we last hosted some craft fun, and although it’s been difficult to wait, we feel now’s the time we can start to encourage more events, and finally show the community that we have so much to offer; that we’re not just the place to pick up your plants – we’re somewhere the family can visit for a day out (or at least a good chunk of it!).
We’d love to get young people more interested in plants and gardening, and we’re making plans for more events later in the year. However, sometimes we know kids just want to have fun, so we’re happy to be hosting Easter crafts and would love to see you there!
A diverse community As we’ve mentioned in the past, keeping Thorngrove diverse in terms of the services we offer is a big priority. We’re more than just a garden centre, and as we continue to develop it’s important to us that you, our customers, see the ethos of Employ My Ability through everything we do.
Yes, we’re selling plants and gardening essentials, but at the same time we’re providing opportunities for employment, for people to connect, maintain a community spirit, and we feed back into Gillingham and
the surrounding areas as our students eventually move on to somewhere new. Whether it’s through events,
community projects, or just giving gardening advice, we do our best for the community.
by Kelsi-Dean Buck