I’ve lived in Hibaldstow all my life, I've watching the parachuters jump daily and always wanted to jump! I recently changed job and now work in the Horticultural industry which is how I heard about Perennial and I knew just the thing I could do to help!

Living in a small village, with my grandparents next door, we used to all watch the parachuters jump daily. My grandad even had a bench in his front garden where he used to sit and watch them jump for hours on end whilst sat in his beloved garden surrounded by his award winning hanging baskets and lilies. My grandma always used to say how she’d love to jump too but my grandad told her this was absolutely a no go and she was too old. In their youth, both grandparents did manual work within the horticultural industry, which lead to their love of plants and the award-winning hanging baskets my grandad grew! Sadly both passed away a few years ago now, however I am trying to keep the garden alive in their memory and often sit on my grandads bench and watch the parachuters.

During the pandemic not only did I move into my grandparent’s house and inherit their garden, I also started walking around the village. The “big lock downs” happened and I suddenly realised how much I missed the noise of the planes going up, so as soon as the restrictions eased and the planes noises were back, there I was, continuously staring at the sky looking for the planes and the parachuters.

I then decided before I was 30 I HAD to do a jump.

Changing jobs and industries in April, I moved to Southern Trident Ltd, who predominately deal with high-quality coir products, I was introduced to Perennial.

Perennial is the UKs only charity looking after people who work in horticulture and their families at any stage of life. They help everyone working with plants, trees, flowers or grass. Jobs within the industry are often physical, low paid, tied to accommodation or seasonal - factors which can lead to the risk of injury, unemployment, homelessness and financial strain. Coupled with the challenges of the current pandemic, the demand for their help increased by 25% last year. This includes people who wouldn't normally contact their helpline but have turned to them during these very difficult times. They are also finding that more people are in need of long-term support which can often put an additional strain on their services. They expect the demand for their help to continue to
grow as government support schemes come to an end, so your help is needed now more than ever.

£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