Update 12th May
Two weeks ago today, I wrote to Alok Sharma (Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy) urging him to allow garden centres to safely reopen soon. I am thrilled to share that, from tomorrow, many popular, family-run garden centres in Broxtowe will be reopening.
It is known that gardening offers excellent health benefits including improving your mood, helping you feel more relaxed and encouraging you to be active and exercise outside. I hope that many of my constituents will take advantage of this good news and support some of our popular, family-run garden centres in Broxtowe that are vital to our community and local economy.
The team at Trowell Garden Centre in Stapleford Road are especially pleased to be reopening tomorrow and are looking forward to seeing their customers again. David Henshaw, the owner, said ‘We know that gardening offers many physical and mental health benefits, so we are pleased to be able to reopen Trowell Garden Centre tomorrow. As well as continuing to offer home deliveries, the team have been working very hard to make sure customers can shop safely. This is welcome news for garden centres across the country and will benefit our local community, as well as the national supply chain of horticultural growers who have been severely impacted by this crisis. The team at Trowell, and our suppliers, are incredibly grateful to Darren for representing our industry to the government and supporting us in these challenging times.’
2nd May
Broxtowe is home to popular, family-run garden centres that I am proud to support. A number of constituents have contacted me to ask for garden centres to be reopened and have highlighted the number of physical and mental health benefits that gardening provides. I share their passion and have written to Alok Sharma, the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, urging him to allow garden centres to safely reopen soon.
I was disheartened to learn that the Horticultural Trades Association has warned that up to £200 million worth of plants may be thrown away and am concerned about the impact that this will have on local garden centres in Broxtowe that are independently run. The Trowell Garden Centre has been run by the same family since 1976, as has the Bardills Garden Centre which opened over 150 years ago. Both centres, and many more in Broxtowe, are immensely popular and a vital part of the local economy. I am sure that, if reopened soon, they would thrive and support my constituents who are keen to develop hobbies that enable them to spend time safely at home. My constituents and I are confident that, given the size and nature of garden centres, social distancing could be easily maintained, and I know that these businesses will be committed to keeping their customers safe.
With the above mind, I urged Alok to consider re-opening garden centres as a priority. I hope that he will join me in not only supporting - but encouraging - people across the country to support their local garden centres and take advantage of the excellent physical and mental health benefits gardening provides.
David Henshaw from Trowell Garden Centre in Stapleford Road, Trowell said “Owing to Coronavirus I have adapted to carry out local deliveries and customers are using our online service. We need to get the Centre open again for our customers and we will be sure to follow the rules for social distancing.”