Dear fellow gardeners 

It would figure that with people finding solace in their gardening more than ever right now incredible gardens are being created around the world that nobody's getting to see!

We want to share them on the Secret Garden Film Club, spread the joy and raise some money to help gardens, gardeners and garden charities affected by COVID19. 

We are asking gardeners everywhere to make to make mini movies of their gardens and to share them with everyone. Use nature as your soundtrack, talk to us or add some music. It's up to you. Start with 'Here's my post for #secretgardenfilmclub and then write a few words about what your garden means to you, the plants you grow or how lockdown has changed gardening for you. 

Include our donation page www.justgiving.com/fundraising/sgfc and encourage people to donate if they can. Please consider donating yourself as the more money we raise the more difference our garden will make. We are supporting the charity Horatio's Garden. The gardens they have built at the spinal injury units across the country are more important than ever at the moment. Many patients are in isolation  and the gardens are playing an even greater part in their healing and well being. As well as raising money towards building the new garden at the Cardiff Spinal Injury Unit the money goes towards maintain their existing gardens. Each garden costs £50,000 a year. Wouldn’t it be amazing if sharing our gardens could help cover the cost of at least one of these? 

Here are some words from their founder, Olivia Chapple, about how COVID is affecting them.

"In the Coronavirus crisis patients with spinal injuries are going to need a safe garden sanctuary to be away from the ward and seek the calm of nature more than ever before. Our patients are facing increasing social isolation as visits to the spinal centres are being limited and the additional fears of the effect of the virus to them.

Our priority as a charity is to continue to support our beneficiaries whilst making them, our volunteers and our staff as safe as possible.  The charity is working closely with the NHS clinical teams to provide vital support for our beneficiaries in these unprecedented times.

We are facing a 27% drop in our annual income as a result of events being cancelled so we are looking at new creative ways to fundraise. Anything you can do from home to help would be brilliant. 

Your continued generosity is vital at this time and I want to thank you for helping us and reassure you of our utter commitment to provide sanctuaries for people facing such very difficult times.

Please may I ask you to consider making a one off donation or setting up a regular gift.

This is a very challenging time for us all and our hearts are with all those who are affected by the pandemic. "

Let's let our gardens do the work (for once) and make some good from this bad. Lets get our gardens out there and let everyone enjoy them as much as we do!

Henny Tate 

Founder Secret Garden Film Club