YOUNGSTERS at the NSPCC centre in Tidworth have been showing their green-fingered skills to celebrate Wyevale Garden Centres reaching its £1m fundraising mark for the NSPCC.

Children attending the Time Together and Lunch Club services helped plant seeds donated by the company in the grounds of the Drummer Lane centre, after the corporate supporter passed the milestone fundraising mark.

The special "Boxes of Care" contained a mixture of plants, seeds, shrubs and pots.

Tidworth was one of 17 NSPCC service centres around the UK to receive a box, which have been used as part of therapy for children supported by the charity.

Vicky Wainwright, the team manager at the NSPCC’s Service Centre in Tidworth, said: “The experience of caring for something, like the tomato plants, helps a young person as it gives them the opportunity to see that being cared for helps things grow, thrive and change. It was a lot of fun too.”

Since 2012, Wyevale Garden Centres Gardens for Good community programme has made donations to the NSPCC from the entrance fee paid by each visitor to the soft play areas attached to 50 of their retail outlets across the UK.

Weekly Time Together sessions provide parents and carers of military and civilian with the chance to enjoy fun and engaging activities with their young children, while making friends with other families.

And the Lunch Club sees NSPCC practitioners visit local schools to offer children of military families informal support on a range of issues.

The money raised has gone to help services provided by the NSPCC. 

Roger Mclaughlan, the CEO at Wyevale Garden Centres, said: “Wyevale Garden Centres are committed to supporting charities and local communities through our ‘Gardens for Good’ initiative and we are proud to have helped so many young people.”