Marking its 180^th anniversary, trade charity Perennial aims to reach more people than ever before this year with the message that it is here to help.

At BTME, Perennial partnered with Rigby Taylor, which ran a golf simulator competition across the week with tickets for the BMW PGA Championship up for grabs for the overall winner. Donations to Perennial were encouraged.

Perennial is the only organisation dedicated to helping everyone from across the turf and grounds care sectors and the wider horticulture industry, delivering front line support, advice and financial help to those facing crisis. As awareness of Perennial grows among the trade, an increasing number of businesses are getting involved.

Kate Cooney, Corporate Partnerships Manager at Perennial says: “For everyone working in the turfcare and grounds sector, as well as the wider horticulture industry, we’re your lifeline when times get tough and this year, we want more people to know we are here. Events such as BTME are an excellent opportunity to connect with our friends across the industry and speak to more people about what Perennial does. The golf competition with Rigby Taylor will be a fun way to raise money and awareness, so if you are at the show, come and take a shot.”

Perennial’s nationwide team of professional advisers understand the challenges and financial pressures that people working across the industry can face. They offer individually tailored financial, practical and personal support and advice directly to people in trouble. Often people have experienced a life-changing event such as serious injury, long-term illness, bereavement or redundancy. All support is completely free and confidential and no membership is needed.

Perennial helps thousands of individuals and families each year and in 2017 helped people access nearly £1.9 million in direct financial help, but there are still many people in the sector who do not know Perennial is there. Continuing to build relationships and partnerships within the industry is key to raising awareness, so any help you and your business can give in helping spread the word makes a real difference. An easy way for organisations to show their support is by signing up to the Perennial Partnership scheme, which allows you to make an annual donation, choosing a level that suits your business. This regular income is valuable in enabling Perennial to plan its services for the future and support those who need it most.

www.perennial.org.uk