Tickle yourself pink for a good cause
Gardeners and plant-lovers are being urged to ‘plant pink’ over the coming months.
Glanbia CountryLife has launched its first ever Plant Pink campaign in its garden centres to raise awareness of and funds for Breast Cancer Ireland.
It wants everyone to buy a special Pink Dianthus, to become more breast cancer aware and to support the fundraising drive.
In Cork, CountryLife has a centre in Castlelyons.
The company will donate €2 to Breast Cancer Ireland for every limited edition Pink Dianthus sold. Members of the public can also support the initiative by contributing online at countrylife.ie
The plant, also known as ‘tickled pink’ was chosen because of its beauty, its unmistakable perfume, its resilience and its sun-loving characteristics, Glanbia CountryLife’s Jess Kelly explained. The limited edition Pink Dianthus is specially grown in Limerick in a biologically friendly way with virtually no chemical pest control methods at the family-run Young Nurseries.
“Pink Dianthus is a fabulous flowering plant. It is hardy. It is vivacious. It is a survivor. We’ve organised special branding and awareness drives in all 14 of our garden centres to make our loyal customers aware of this fund-raising and awareness campaign.
“We’re a proud supporter of Breast Cancer Ireland and we’re hoping that this limited edition Pink Dianthus will be our top seller as the busy gardening season gets underway. It’s also a fabulous pollinator and butterflies in particular love it. We’re also encouraging our customers to get involved and help build awareness by sharing their own photos on social media using the hashtag #plantpink and tagging @countrylifegc for a chance to win some pink prizes,” Ms Kelly revealed.
Aisling Hurley, CEO, Breast Cancer Ireland said: “Mortality rates from breast cancer are predicted to fall across Europe in 2019 due to improvements in screening, early diagnosis and treatment and it is initiatives such as Glanbia CountryLife’s Plant Pink that allow Breast Cancer Ireland to continue to fund pioneering research and awareness and transform the landscape of breast cancer in this country.”