Charity wins vital support (From Knutsford Guardian)

Charity wins vital support

5:50pm Saturday 28th July 2012 in News By James Wilson

A KNUTSFORD charity which helps to maintain the gardens of the town’s elderly and disabled residents has received a huge financial boost.

Knutsford GROW is a leading charity that helps the elderly and disabled with their gardens, with much of the work being carried out by volunteers with adult learning difficulties.

GROW recently had to temporarily cut its gardening service by 50 per cent due to lack of funds.

However this week the group has announced that Tatton Estate Management – which is operated by the Brooks family – has agreed to be its corporate patron.

The company owns a wide variety of agricultural, period residential and commercial properties in and around the Knutsford area, and the principal objective for the partnership is to increase the profile of the group locally and to help it attract more charitable donations and volunteer assistance.

Neil Forbes, chairman of Knutsford GROW, said he hoped this alliance with the Brooks family would attract more donations.

“GROW has being working in the area for more than 10 years, but times are tough,” he said.

“We use a volunteer team of gardeners, but we still have to cover our overheads like tool maintenance, safety equipment and the like.

“Without funding and support we would not be able to continue to help the community in the way we do.”

Henry Brooks, of Tatton Estate Management, said: “We are delighted to be corporate patron of such a worthwhile organisation as Knutsford GROW. We hope our donations and involvement will help to build on the significant contribution made already.

“Donations are only part of the jigsaw, but it is only because of the many dedicated volunteers that GROW is able to make such a fantastic contribution to and for our community.”

If you would like to donate to the group visit knutsfordgrow.org.uk using PayPal, debit or credit card, or send a cheque, payable to Knutsford GROW, to 69 Westfield Drive, Knutsford, WA16 0BH.