News Archive

There is just a month to go for keen photographers to enter the annual Webbs calendar competition in aid of local hospices.

Webbs Garden Centres in Wychbold, near Droitwich and West Hagley are running the photo competition for the eighth year running after it proved to be so popular with customers.

More than 1,500 images were entered from 330 photographers into last year’s competition, which judges then had to whittle down to the final 12, depicting each month of the year.

Webbs is planning to produce a calendar for 2013 from original photographs in aid of the firm’s chosen charities, St Richard’s, Primrose, Kemp, Mary Stevens and Acorns Hospices in Worcestershire. Webbs’ judges are again searching for wonderful photographs of flowers, gardens, garden scenes, flora & fauna.

The competition is open to everyone, amateur or enthusiast of any age. Entry forms are available in-store at Wychbold and West Hagley or to download from here

Judging will take place in the middle of June 2012 and the 12 winning entries will be featured in the calendar, with each winning photographer credited. The calendar will go on sale in the autumn.

Executive Chairman Ed Webb said: “we’ve already had some stunning photos sent in for the competition but we still have a few weeks to go so would love to see more. The bigger the choice we have, the better the end calendar will be. It may be a photo taken in your own garden or from when you were out walking or visiting somewhere special. ”

He added: “The calendar is always very popular and we give each of the hospices hundreds of copies for them to use for fundraising. We are hoping to repeat the previous years’ successes and create a beautiful calendar which will also benefit our local hospices. ”

The 12 winning entrants will each receive Webbs Gift Vouchers worth £30 and 12 copies of the calendar to give to friends and family.

Wildlife experts will be encouraging gardeners to look after the creatures on their doorsteps during a special weekend at Webbs in Wychbold.

The award-winning garden centre near Droitwich will be hosting experts from The Wildlife Trusts, RSPB and Wildlife World on Saturday and Sunday 19th and 20th May from 11am – 4pm. They will be on hand to answer visitors’ wildlife queries.

There’s also a chance to inspire youngsters to look after the birdlife in their gardens when they can decorate a wooden nest box and take it home.

The decorating workshops will run from 11am to 4pm each day and tickets, costing £4.99, will be available on the day.

There is also a chance for families to follow a fun Wildlife Ramble around the beautiful Riverside Gardens at Webbs. Entry to the gardens is free and all trail entries will go into a draw to win a prize. The trail is open from 11am to 4pm.

Webbs Chairman, Ed Webb, said “With the help of our visiting experts, we hope to encourage everyone to do their bit for wildlife. Whether you have a window box or a large garden, it doesn’t take a lot to make space for wildlife.“

He added, “The nest box decorating for children proved a big hit when we introduced the workshops earlier this year. The natural nest sites on which many of our bird species depend, such as holes in trees and buildings, are fast disappearing as gardens and woods are ‘tidied’ and old houses are repaired. This is just one small way of helping to ensure we are doing all we can to help our bird population.”

We would love to celebrate our special 75th anniversary at Webbs, Wychbold with some of our special customers.

If you are 75 years old and have been a customer at Webbs over the years then you could be invited to join our 75th anniversary celebrations on Tuesday, 3rd July. There will be an optional guided walk of the beautiful Riverside Gardens, followed by a cream tea in the restaurant’s new outdoor seating area (weather permitting!). The lucky 75 will also receive one of the newly named 75th anniversary rose plants.

Chairman of this family company, Ed Webb, is looking forward to welcoming the special guests.

The closing date is 4th June, 2012. All those who receive an invitation are invited to bring one guest.

For those of you who don’t qualify for the Anniversary Tea Party why not come along to Webbs, Wychbold on Sunday 22nd July between 11am-4pm to join us for lots of FREE fun and entertainment for all the family.

Webbs 75th Anniversary Tea Party, Tuesday 3rd July 2012

Complete the form below to request to join the party

The closing date is 4th June, 2012. All those who receive an invitation are invited to bring one guest.

Customers and staff at Webbs Garden Centre in Wychbold are holding a Donate, Don’t Dump Day for Acorns Children’s Hospice.

Webbs is encouraging customers to come along to the award winning Wychbold store on Thursday, 17th May, between 10am and 5pm and bring at least one good quality item which is no longer wanted or needed.

There will be a Webbs van in the car park ready to accept donations. These will then be taken directly to Acorns Hospice warehouse where everything will be sorted and taken into the charity’s shops to be sold.

Similar events at Webbs for St Richard’s Hospice, Primrose Hospice, Mary Stevens and KEMP Hospice have proved very successful.

Executive Chairman Ed Webb said, “The idea of the day is to improve the quality and quantity of donations to charity shops and this is a great way for our customers to help Acorns raise much needed funds for their caring work.”

He added, “I’m sure lots of people have just the right items tucked away at home. It’s a great opportunity to de-clutter and raise money for charity. Of course, if anyone wants to bring in more than one item, they will be very welcome to do so.”

Renowned gardening broadcaster and writer Pippa Greenwood will pass on her top tips on how to grow your own produce at Webbs Garden Centre at Wychbold on Thursday, 5th April.

The BBC Gardeners’ Question Time panelist and BBC Gardeners’ World columnist, Pippa, will be sharing her knowledge with customers from 12 noon to 2pm. A talk and demonstration in the morning has already proved a sell out success.

Following the talk, Pippa will be happy to answer ‘Grow Your Own’ questions from customers and will finish the day signing her new book, The Gardener’s Calendar.

Pippa’s visit follows on from a Grow Your Own event at Webbs, Wychhold on Saturday 31st March and Sunday 1st April.

Ed Webbs, Executive Chairman of Webbs Garden Centres said, “We are delighted that Pippa is coming to our Wychbold Centre and will be able to pass on some of her huge gardening knowledge and expertise to our customers.”

Hundreds of packets of tomato seeds will be given away to help gardeners get the growing season off to a flying start.
Webbs Garden Centre in Wychbold is holding a Grow Your Own weekend on Saturday 31st March and Sunday, 1st April.
To encourage people to get growing Webbs will be giving away 500 packs of Suttons Gardener’sDelight tomato seeds to the first 250 customers on each of the days on a first come, first served basis. Visitors can collect the seeds from the demonstration area.
The event will include free advice and demonstrations from Webbs experts who will show visitors how easy it is to grow in planters and tubs as well as vegetable plots so everyone can have a go no matter how small their space. The event runs from 11am – 4pm. There will also be free talks on growing herbs at 11.30am and 2.30pm on Saturday and Sunday.
There will be a free children’s seed sowing activity and a vegetable themed Riverside Ramble trail for youngsters. Families can also pick up inspiration from the mini vegetable gardens on show at Webbs.
Webbs Executive Chairman Ed Webb said, “This time of year is exciting for every gardener and we want to help them ensure their growing season gets off to a good start. There is so much interest now in growing your own veg and we are sure our customers will find the weekend a great inspiration. There’s nothing better than growing and eating your own tasty and healthy food.”

Customers and staff at Webbs Garden Centre in Wychbold are holding a Donate, Don’t Dump Day for Primrose Hospice.

The award-winning garden centre holds regular days when customers can donate goods to their local hospices, which prove very successful.

Webbs are encouraging customers to come along to their store at Wychbold on Thursday, 22nd March, between 10am and 5pm and bring at least one good quality item which is no longer wanted or needed.

Donations can be put straight into a Webbs van in the car park. These will then be taken directly to Primrose Hospice warehouse where everything will be sorted and taken into the charity’s shops to be sold.

Executive Chairman Ed Webb said, “The aim of ‘Donate, Don’t Dump Day’ is to improve the quality and quantity of donations to charity shops and for giving in this way to be an easy and frequent event. This helps charities such as Primrose to raise the much needed funds to carry out their invaluable work in the community.”

A team from Webbs Garden Centres in Wychbold and West Hagley will be taking on a Five Hospices Challenge in Worcestershire on Tuesday, 13th March, in a bid to brighten up their outdoor spaces for patients and families to enjoy.

The Webbs workers will be taking on the planting makeovers as part of the first national Garden Re-leaf Day. They will be heading for the firm’s chosen charities St Richard’s, Acorns, Primrose, Kemp and Mary Stevens Hospices.

They will be creating a new garden vista for a bedroom at St Richard’s Hospice in Worcester with the help of Bransford Webbs Plant Company; creating herbaceous borders at Primrose Hospice in Bromsgrove; providing hanging baskets for the sensory garden and entrances at Mary Stevens Hospice in Stourbridge; brightening up Kemp Hospice in Kidderminster with planters and a raised vegetable plot for patients; and developing a vegetable and herb garden as a project for the patients at Acorns Hospice in Worcester.

Hundreds of UK garden centres and scores of leading gardening suppliers, journalists and supporters will be holding special events designed to inspire Britain’s gardeners on Garden Re-Leaf Day. The Day is an industry-wide initiative aimed at engaging with gardeners young and old, experienced and beginners, to get the 2012 gardening calendar off to a flying start.

Any money raised by this year’s Garden Re-Leaf Day activities will go to Greenfingers, the garden industry charity that creates magical gardens for children’s hospices. Webbs Garden Centres have also been raising funds towards Greenfingers projects for many years.

Chairman of Webbs, Ed Webb said, “This is a fantastic opportunity to help our local hospices and bring the community together through gardening. We asked each hospice how we could help and are delighted to rise to the challenge. “

To get involved with Garden Re-Leaf Day, or find out about events in your area, visit www.gardenreleaf.co.uk or contact info@gardenreleaf.co.uk