Squire's raises over £24,000 for local community charities
Squire’s Garden Centres has once again demonstrated its commitment to local communities, raising an impressive £24,861.84 through its annual ‘Charity of the Year’ programme. The initiative, now in its fourteenth year, saw all 17 Squire’s centres – along with its Group Office in Farnham – partner with a local charity from 1 August 2024 to 31 July 2025.
Under the programme, each garden centre chooses a charity that meets specific criteria: it must be a registered charity, benefit local people with funds used locally rather than going into a national pot, and support either local people or the environment.
Sam Dickson, Managing Director of Squire’s Garden Centres, comments: "This fantastic achievement reflects the passion and dedication of our colleagues across the business and the incredible generosity of our customers. By working closely with charities rooted in the heart of our communities, we’re able to make a very real and positive impact. I’m hugely proud of what has been achieved this year – every pound raised will help make a difference where it’s needed most."
Fundraising efforts were centre-led and varied, ranging from collection boxes and raffles to ticketed events such as Squire’s Christmas grottos, as well as other activities. Centres, including Crawley, Reigate and Shepperton, hosted special anniversary customer events this year, marking significant milestones of the centre and enabling them to boost donations through charity raffles.
Beyond the crucial fundraising, the programme helps raise awareness of the charities’ work and often creates opportunities for hands-on involvement, providing valuable and rewarding experiences for both charity and Squire’s centre teams.
In addition to the ‘Charity of the Year’ partnerships, Squire’s also supports two national horticultural charities; Greenfingers Charity, which creates gardens for children’s hospices and for whom Squire’s raised £6,300 this year through the sale of carrier bags - and Perennial, the UK charity supporting people in horticulture - as well as a range of other local causes and events throughout the year.
Looking ahead to the new Charity Year 2025-26 (commenced 1 August), 11 Squire’s centres will be welcoming new charity partners, these include:
- Badshot Lea – Helen Arkell Dyslexia Charity
- Chertsey - Ashford & St Peter’s Hospitals’ Charities
- Cobham – The Meeting Room
- Frensham - Woodlarks Accessible Campsite
- Milford – The Samson Centre
- Reigate - Home Start East Surrey
- Shepperton - Families Thrive Together
- Stanmore – Norwood
- Washington - St Barnabus Hospice
- West Horsley - Queen Elizabeth Foundation
- Wokingham - The Cowshed
Six centres will continue to support their existing charity partners for a further year; Age Concern Brighton & West Sussex (Squire’s Crawley), Age Concern Twyford & District (Squire’s Hare Hatch), Home Start Elmbridge (Squire’s Hersham), Walton Charity (Squire’s Long Ditton), Homelink (Squire’s Twickenham) and Woking & Sam Beare Hospice (Squire’s Woking).
Charities supported last year by Squire’s Garden Centres with amount raised (by centre):
SQUIRE’S CENTRE 2024-25 CHARITY AMOUNT RAISED CHARITY INFORMATION
- Badshot Lea Space2grow £2,332 www.space2grow.space
- Chertsey Little Roo Neonatal Fund (Ashford & St Peter’s) £599 www.ashfordstpeters.nhs.uk/littleroo
- Cobham Cobham Area Food Bank £859 cobhamarea.foodbank.org.uk
- Crawley Age UK West Sussex Brighton & Hove £1,503 www.ageuk.org.uk/westsussexbrightonhove
- Frensham The Green Hub Project for Teens £2,285 greenhub.org.uk
- Hersham Home Start Elmbridge £1,675 homestartelmbridge.org.uk
- Long Ditton Walton Charity £1,813 www.waltoncharity.org.uk
- Milford The Fountain Centre (St Luke’s/Royal Surrey) £2,621 fountaincentre.org
- Reigate SASH Charity (Surrey & Sussex Healthcare / East Surrey Hospital) £324 www.sashcharity.org
- Shepperton Spelthorne Dementia Support (Purple Angels) £3,425 www.spelthorne-dementia-support.org.uk
- Stanmore St Luke’s Hospice £1,196 www.stlukes-hospice.org
- Twickenham HomeLink £417 www.homelinkdaycare.co.uk
- Washington Rockinghorse Children’s Charity £441 www.rockinghorse.org.uk
- West Horsley Oakleaf Enterprise £987 www.oakleaf-enterprise.org
- Woking Woking & Beare Hospice & Wellbeing Care £2,605 wsbh.org.uk
- Wokingham CLASP Wokingham £868 www.claspwokingham.org
- Group Office Phyllis Tuckwell Hospice £880.84 www.pth.org.uk
GRAND TOTAL £24,861.84*
*Squire’s Hare Hatch began working with Age Concern Twyford & District in the late stages of the ’24-’25 charity year, raising £31 for their charity partner over the last few months of the charity year. The centre team is looking forward to lots of fundraising activities to support Age Concern, as they commence the new full charity year. www.ageconcerntwyford.org.uk