Story
We've been working for Perennial since 2012 and the personal stories we've heard never fail to elicit a strong emotional response. We can honestly tell you that this Charity is something very special. For almost 180 years our support has evolved from Victorian benevolence to contemporary, innovative one to one support from a team of highly trained, professional caseworkers and debt advisers. They work tirelessly to help people working or retired from an industry that's challenging, diverse, sometimes disparate and joyous, all at the same time. Horticulturists are amazing, creative, practical and committed individuals. It's not just in our working days that we want to support them when they're in crisis, and that's why we are challenging ourselves to complete this walk!
The worst times for us have been when we've heard about people who have suffered far more greatly than they need to have done had they got in touch. Like the gardener who had been overpaid housing benefit due to an incorrect calculation on the part of the benefits agency. They then demanded the money back but he simply didn't have it. He tried to contact them but couldn't get a response and after having bailiffs turn up at his door he decided to take his own life. He owed £800. This is a common problem that our caseworkers know exactly how to resolve swiftly and efficiently, if only he had called us.
So we're walking the wall to raise funds so those people in our wonderful industry can continue to receive the support they need, but we're also doing this to use as an excuse to create as much noise for Perennial as we can so those in need know about us and are happy to call us before problems escalate to the point where they think there is only one way out.