STAFF at Groves Nurseries in Bridport have teamed up with greenfingered pupils for the first ever Garden Re-Leaf fundraising day on March 13.

Garden Re-Leaf – echoing the success of Sport Relief and Comic Relief – is a new gardening-based initiative aimed at launching the gardening year and raising cash for charity.

Proceeds will go to Greenfingers, a garden industry charity that creates magical gardens for children’s hospices, including Julia’s House in Dorset.

Groves Nurseries is holding a number of events and activities, including a second-hand book stall and managing director Charlie Groves is running the Bath Half Marathon on March 11. Their main intiative is with 10 local schools who are making their own magical gardens to go on display at Groves.

Mr Groves said: “We are always happy to help out charities in any way we can and with this scheme being directly linked to the garden centre industry we just had to get involved.

“We are very excited about being able to work together with local schools and we hope that this will be the start of many projects working together.”

Burton Bradstock, Loders, Axe & Parrett, Mountjoy, Bridport Primary, Power-stock, Beaminster Pre School, Salway Ash, St Catherine’s and Broadwindsor are all involved.

For more information on the scheme visit gardenreleaf.co.uk or email info@gardenreleaf.co.uk To sponsor Charlie Groves in the half marathon visit justgiving .com/charliegroves.

Alternatively, visit grovesnurseries.co.uk, email charlie@grovesnurseries.co.uk or call 01308 422654 for more details.