2025 was an amazing year for fundraising across the Otter family.

Each of our garden centres choose their own charity to support, often because they have a close connection with them.

Ottery St Mary

raised £42,170 for local charity Hospiscare. The majority of the funds were generated through the Festive Adventure in December, a magical Christmas experience for families. Children were invited to peek inside Mrs Claus’s kitchen, join animated reindeer singalongs, explore a snowy winter wonderland and enjoy a land train ride. Volunteers from Hospiscare’s fundraising team fully embraced the festive spirit, dressing as elves while helping children write letters to Santa and prepare packets of reindeer food. Every penny raised from the event went directly to Hospiscare. A further £14,344 was generated throughout the year via a series of additional fundraisers organised by Otter’s charity team and Hospiscare volunteers, including raffles, bingo and quiz nights, as well as donation buckets for customers enjoying Otter’s singing penguin Christmas animation.

Hospiscare provides specialist care for patients and their families living with life-limiting illnesses across Exeter, Central and East Devon, supporting close to 2,200 people each year. With only around 20 per cent of its funding coming from the NHS, the charity must raise £10 million annually to continue delivering care across the region.

For 2026, Ottery has chosen to continue its partnership with Hospiscare, which began in 2019.

Jacks Patch

raised £4,700 in total for Rowcroft Hospice through a range of activities including a raffle featuring a huge Hamleys teddy donated by a member of the team, nicknamed Rafferty the Rowcroft Bear who was displayed sat in a big rocking chair with a side table, lighting, rug and blanket with children’s story books around him. Two further raffles were held, one for a Body Shop advent calendar donated by Sonja Miller, and another for three Christmas food hampers. Another success was a book drop off point; customers taking donated books were asked to make a small donation which raised a surprising amount of money. Till supervisor Rachel Hitchens ran a fused/stained glass workshop for staff who were able to purchase the items they made, with all profits going into the Rowcroft pot. Fundraising received a real boost from donations given to the Christmas animated singing penguins, which sang festive tunes at the touch of a button, delighting children and adults alike.

Rowcroft Hospice is a charity that supports adults living with life-limiting illnesses in South Devon, from offering advice and emotional support, to specialist end of life palliative care. The majority of funding comes from the local community.

For 2026 Jack’s Patch is supporting the British Heart Foundation, the biggest independent funder of research into cardiovascular disease in the UK.

Plymouth

raised £3,856 for the Salvation Army Devonport Lifehouse through raffles throughout the year, bike riding and Christmas events. The team chose Devonport Life House as their charity for 2025 because it carries out amazing work in Plymouth for the homeless and less fortunate. They have accommodation of 61 single rooms which are used by men or women. It may just be for a couple of nights, while some stay up to 18 months to turn their lives around with support. The funds raised will go towards extras to make the residents more comfortable. Plymoth also donated items to make a memorial garden where people can sit in a calm place.

In 2026, the Plymouth team has chosen to fundraise for the Chestnut Appeal for Derriford Hospital. The Appeal has been working across Devon and Cornwall for over 25 years, offers support and care for men’s health particularly prostate cancer and other male cancers. Funding nurses and latest treatments, as well as raising awareness, we feel this charity is so important to see the people get the help they need.

Wincanton

supported the Yeovil Blood Bikes, raising £1628. This partnership has been running for a number of years now. The volunteer bikers came to the garden centre on Bank Holiday weekends with their bikes, encouraging donations. There were collection tins on every till and during November and December, a donation bucket at the reindeer animation.

Freewheelers Emergency Voluntary Service (Yeovil), known as “YFW Blood Bikes” and “Yeovil Freewheelers”, is a group of emergency volunteer bikers operating out of Yeovil, Dorchester, Taunton and Wincanton Hospitals. The demand for services is still growing after 40 years supporting the NHS. Last year the bikes made over 1,800 out-of-hours deliveries, carrying blood, platelets, blood and tissue samples, medication, breast milk, documents, CT scans, and equipment to hospitals, hospices, and nursing homes as well as private addresses across much of Somerset and all of Dorset, saving the NHS well over £200,000 while easing patients’ suffering and helping to save lives.

Wincanton are fundraising again for the Blood Bikes in 2026.

Torbay

has an ongoing charity partnership with the RNLI. In 2025 the team raised £893.

RNLI Torbay is one of the UK’s busiest lifeboat stations which is run almost entirely by volunteers. RNLI Torbay’s crew have been saving lives in the waters in and around Torbay and out into the English Channel in all weathers for over 150 years.

For 2026 Torbay is continuing to fundraise for the RNLI.

Taunton

raised £415 for its chosen charity, Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance.

The service was set up on 21st March 2000, since when Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance has responded to over 30,000 missions. They average around eight missions every day. Fundraising supports the highly skilled crew, helicopter (nicknamed ‘Peggy’) and two outreach cars which provide emergency support across Dorset and Somerset. The team includes five dedicated liaison nurses to care for patients and families beyond the emergency.

The Taunton team has chosen to continue fundraising for the Air Ambulance in 2026.

Whitchurch

our newest garden centre has chosen to fundraise for Dorothy House during 2026.

Well done to all our team members for your efforts during 2025 and good luck with the fundraising for 2026.