Notcutts, Woodbridge What's On May 2008 - June 2008 For a full programme of events throughout the year pick up a What"s On leaflet from the garden centre now. 2008 Charity We are delighted to announce that Guide Dogs for the Blind is our company charity for 2008, look out for fund-raising events at the centre throughout the year. Saturday 3rd May 10.00 am – 4.00 pm Special Guide Dogs for the Blind Association Craft Fayre. Lots of interesting craft stalls, tombola and raffle. Look Out for Wildlife Calling all children – enter Notcutts Wildlife competition for your chance to win a Bird Box Camera for your school and £50 in wildlife products for you. All you have to do is to paint or draw pictures of wildlife and bring them into the garden centre to be displayed. The winner will be announced at the end of May.

News May 2008 - June 2008   BEETROOT JUICE SALES SOAR Sales of beetroot juice, both in the restaurant and shop, are soaring at Notcutts since the media reported that drinking 500ml of beetroot juice a day can significantly reduce blood pressure. “We realised that we were constantly replenishing stocks of James White Beetroot Juice,” says Nick Bugden, garden centre manager. “James White juices always sell well but we were surprised that we were ordering far more of the beetroot variety and the reason is that people have discovered that it helps to cut blood pressure. “The key beneficial ingredient appears to be nitrate, which is also found in green, leafy vegetables,” continues Nick. “We are finding that more and more customers want to grow their own vegetables, whether it be in containers, their gardens or on allotments, that we have significantly increased our kitchen garden range to meet that demand. Some people don’t like germinating their own seeds, some people want just a few plants and others lose seedlings to the elements or pests and so they come into the garden centre to buy established plants in the kitchen garden range. Coupled with the huge range of seeds we stock, there is something for the novice to the most experienced vegetable grower.” “Beetroot is so easy to grow and now is the time to plant it. There are so many delicious recipes you can create using beetroot, but if you don’t want to grow them yourselves then the garden centre has beetroot juice,” says Nick. Researchers discovered that in healthy volunteers blood pressure was reduced within an hour of drinking the juice. The study, by Barts and The London School of Medicine and the Peninsula Medical School, could suggest a low-cost way to treat hypertension. Previously, the protective effects of vegetable-rich diets have been attributed to their antioxidant vitamin content. Professor Amrita Ahluwalia of Barts and The London School of Medicine says, “Drinking beetroot juice, or consuming other nitrate-rich vegetables, might be a simple way to maintain a healthy cardiovascular system.” (source BBC news website). Image by Mike Hammett WATCH THE BIRDIE – WIN A CAMERA For a chance to win a Bird Box Camera for their school and £50 worth of wildlife products for themselves, children can enter Notcutts ‘Look Out for Wildlife’ competition. All children have to do is to paint or draw pictures of wildlife and bring them into the garden centre to be displayed. The winner will be announced at the end of May and children and May half term is an ideal opportunity for children to visit the garden to see the pictures entered into the competition. “As our customers, and particularly children, are very interested in wildlife and there was so much interest in the bird box cameras last year, with some of the garden centres actually having nests in their boxes, that we thought it would make an excellent prize for schools,” says garden centre manager Nick Bugden. “The bird box camera is just one of 460 wildlife products we stock, so there’s something for everyone.” "We were both surprised and delighted that Charlie won. Charlie does like his art lessons at school,” says his Mum, Penny. Don’t forget Mother’s Day on Sunday 2nd March. Come to Notcutts and select from a wide range of plants and fresh cut flowers for your Mum. GET THE VEGGIE KNOWLEDGE With more and more people wanting to grow their own vegetables Notcutts garden centre in Woodbridge will host a free expert gardening advice day on Saturday 19th April with particular emphasis on the kitchen garden. Expert growers will be at the garden centre in Ipswich Road on the 19th to help and guide customers with lots of interesting gardening advice and tips. Open from 10.30 am to 4.30 pm there will be plenty to interest the whole family. Gardening experts such as Andrew Tokely, Karen Kenny, Steve Ott from Kitchen Garden magazine, garden supplier representatives, Notcutts resident experts, organic gardeners and allotment holders will be on hand to give you lots of gardening advice. Learn not only how to grow vegetables, but which varieties to grow from Notcutts huge range of different seeds, seed potatoes and kitchen garden range of vegetables. If you don’t have lots of growing space then there will be plenty advice on how to grow in various containers. Take part in Notcutts Gardeners’ Question Time with Karen Kenny in the chair supported by Andrew Tokely and William Notcutt. Enjoy a scrumptious menu in the Beech Tree restaurant where Notcutts resident chefs will demonstrate their skills with meals from produce you can easily grow in your garden. Children will not be forgotten because there will be lots of gardening fun aimed at them with the Science Boffin entertaining them with knowledge about looking after bugs in the garden. The day will also see the launch of Woodbridge’s Big Sunflower Grow competition when children will be shown the best way to plant their seeds and how to care for them. Plus there will be gardening hunts. “ It promises to be a very interesting day,” says garden centre manager Nick Bugden. “Although the main theme is the kitchen garden we have lots of interest for all gardeners and children alike. Plus we will be supported by organisations such as the RSPB, Suffolk Wildlife Trust and Suffolk Bee Society. The PDSA will be here with their pet health check vehicle and our popular charity of the year, The Guide Dogs for the Blind Association, will also be in the garden centre with their puppies and dogs together with some fun fundraising activity.” NOTCUTTS CHOOSE GUIDE DOGS FOR THE BLIND AS THEIR 2008 CHARITY Notcutts has chosen Guide Dogs for The Blind Association as their 2008 charity. Guide Dogs will benefit from all fundraising at the Woodbridge garden centre. February half term, Saturday 23rd from 10am to 4pm, will see the official launch of the fundraising with Guide Dog puppies, their handlers and GDBA volunteers in the garden centre talking to customers about the organisation and its work. If the delightful dogs are not enough to keep the children amused Justso James and his team will be in the garden centre to entertain Notcutts younger customers. “Guide Dogs have worked with Notcutts in helping to build up some very successful All About Dogs Days at other Notcutts garden centres,” says garden centre manager Nick Bugden. “The organisation was so professional and supportive at these events that we all voted to work with them in 2008 and extend our support to fundraising across the group. “During the year the money from our wishing well and fundraising within the garden centre will all be for the benefit of Guide Dogs,” continues Nick. “This activity will all be complemented with regular visits by Guide Dogs volunteers and their puppies and dogs. We have always found that such visits are a hit with customers who have a warm spot for the adorable dogs.”

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