A group of Rochdale schoolchildren got their hands dirty for a good cause, thanks to TV gardener Frances Tophill, who joined forces with a Manchester garden centre to support a homelessness charity.
Television presenter and gardening advocate Frances Tophill has inspired dozens of local schoolchildren, and raised thousands for charity, during a visit to Daisy Nook Garden Centre, recently acquired by J. Parker’s in Failsworth.
The special event was held in aid of Petrus, a homelessness charity supporting vulnerable individuals across Rochdale, Oldham and Burnley. It raised £2,000 through ticket sales from an evening talk attended by gardening enthusiasts, with 100 per cent of the proceeds going directly to the charity.
Frances, who appears regularly on ITV’s Love Your Garden and BBC’s Gardeners' World, delivered a talk centred around the theme "there is no right and wrong in gardening". She urged attendees to think of gardens not just as spaces to grow plants, but as personal expressions and sanctuaries for wellbeing.
She also challenged traditional gardening methods, promoting a more inclusive, experimental and environmentally sensitive approach to connecting with the land.
The evening included a lively Q&A session where guests shared how they express their identities through their gardens, reinforcing the event’s core message of creativity, accessibility and personal meaning in horticulture.
Earlier in the day, Frances also hosted a free interactive workshop for 50 pupils from Broadfield Community Primary School in Rochdale, Brian Clarke Academy in Oldham, and Holy Name Primary School in Manchester. Children learned how to use the ‘bulb lasagne’ planting technique, layering bulbs at different depths to create successive blooms through spring.
The session aimed to inspire a new generation of gardeners by building hands-on skills and curiosity about nature. It reflects Frances’ wider work across the UK in promoting horticulture as a positive and enriching interest for young people.
Speaking after the event, Frances said:
“To have the chance to meet some lovely gardeners, and potentially the next generation of gardeners, growers and ecologists, all rolled into a fun day of conversation and learning is a lovely thing to be involved with anyway.
But for the whole thing to make a contribution towards tackling homelessness and making a difference to those in society who need our help, thoughts and actions the most, is a genuine privilege.”
J. Parker’s marketing manager Edward Doherty praised the event’s community impact and was especially pleased to see how the schoolchildren responded to Frances’ enthusiasm.
“It has been great to share our commitment to community engagement with her and raise some funds to help Sonia, Silvana and the amazing team at Petrus to continue the work they do,” he said.
“Every one of the children left with a great smile on their face.”
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