Garden in honour of charity wins awards double

Jack Moody Landscaping and Hollybush Garden Centre at Shareshill teamed up to help create the border which was featured at the show held at the Birmingham National Exhibition Centre.

It celebrate the life and legacy of Andrea Childs' daughter Beth and raised funds for leading blood cancer charities.

Andrea Childs from Kingswinford established the charity, Beth’s Sunflowers, in her daughter’s honour after Beth tragically lost her battle with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia in 2018, just two months before her 21st birthday.

Sunflowers, Beth’s favourite flower, became a symbol of hope and resilience for Andrea. In 2019, a friend whose son also fought the same illness grew sunflowers and gifted Andrea the seeds, sparking the annual tradition of growing and selling these flowers to support Cure Leukaemia and other blood cancer charities like A Gift to Lift.

Returning to BBC Gardeners’ World Live for the second year, Andrea sought community support through social media, requesting plant donations for her border garden. Jack Moody Group responded enthusiastically, offering their expertise and resources, leading to a collaborative planning process that brought ‘A Garden of Treasured Memories’ to life.

Jack Moody Nursery planted more than 100 sunflower seeds provided by Andrea, complemented by a thoughtfully curated selection of plants, each symbolising an aspect of Beth’s personality. They were predominately pink to represent her favourite colour.

The garden also featured plants signifying strength, beauty, ambition, and kindness.

A special touch was the inclusion of her grandad’s bench, evoking treasured family memories.

The garden successfully raised more than £5,000 for the associated charities, marking a significant achievement.

Beth’s Sunflowers border received a prestigious silver award from the judging panel and was then further honoured with the People’s Choice Best Beautiful Border 2024 award, voted by the public.

The award winners took their trophies along to put on show at Hollybush Garden Centre on Friday, June 21.

Andrea Childs said “We were all thrilled with the judges' silver award but to hear the publics comments on our garden over the four days of the show and repeatedly be told how beautiful it was meant everything to us. To win the public vote was the icing on the cake and a fitting tribute to Beth.”

Kate Moody, managing director at Jack Moody Group said “We are honoured to support such a meaningful cause and look forward to future collaborations that continue to inspire and make a difference."

For more information about Beth’s Sunflowers, visit www.bethssunflowers.co.uk