Haskins Garden Centre in Ferndown has donated over £3,000 to its 2021 Charity of the Year, The Dorset Blind Association.

Throughout the past year, the Haskins Ferndown team held various fundraising events in aid of The Dorset Blind Association (DBA,) including raffles and tombolas. The team also asked for customers to make donations via the Charity Wishing Well, which was placed at the centre’s exit.

Jonathan Holyhead, CEO of Dorset Blind Association, said: “We would love to thank Haskins for their support and generous donation which will help us continue to provide both practical and emotional help for blind and partially sighted people across Dorset.

 “These funds will be used towards the ongoing provision of our Community Support Services, which help people come to terms with their sight loss and still lead full, healthy and socially active lives. We would like to thank the Haskins’ customers for their help in reaching this fantastic amount. Every pound they have kindly given will be put to very good use.”

Haskins Ferndown chose to support Dorset Blind Association last year due to the essential work the charity does to help partially sighted and blind people across the county. The demand for the charity’s services is at an all-time high as the number of sight-loss cases in Dorset continues to rise.

Ben Ryding, Ferndown’s Customer Service Leader, said: “Each year we look to make a difference and help a local cause by selecting them as our chosen charity. Members of our team here at Haskins Ferndown have had first-hand experience of the amazing work the charity already does, so we wanted to help them in return by choosing Dorset Blind Association as our Charity of the Year.

“The last two years have been difficult for everyone. Despite this, the brilliant fundraisers from DBA remained positive, carrying out their fantastic work. I believe it is a great achievement that we were still able to raise a significant amount to help DBA continue the fantastic services they offer in our local community.”

Haskins Ferndown has selected Macmillan Local, based at Christchurch Hospital, as its 2022 Charity Partner of the Year.

Haskins Garden Centres is an independent family business that has five centres located in the south of England. Haskins’ centres include Ferndown (Dorset), West End (Southampton), Snowhill (West Sussex), Roundstone (West Sussex) and Forest Lodge (Farnham).

Please visit www.haskins.co.uk and www.dorsetblind.org.uk for more information.