Green-fingered volunteers raise £100,000 for Bucks-based hearing dogs charity

The legendary sales, which are organised and run by long-standing Hearing Dogs volunteers, Fiona and Rob Daniels, have grown from very humble beginnings into one of the most popular and anticipated fixtures in the Hearing Dogs calendar.

Fiona recalls their origins: “We used to take plants we’d grown into Hearing Dogs’ southern training centre, The Grange, and sell them at the charity’s volunteer coffee afternoons. They seemed quite popular, so we continued planting and growing seedlings ready for the next sales.

“When the pandemic hit, we had a surplus of plants that we couldn’t take to the training centre, so we set up a table with an honesty box outside our house in Haddenham. We raised over £200 that weekend.”

Spurred on by this success, Fiona and Rob began holding sales more frequently. “For VE Day, we teamed up with our fellow volunteers, Peter Shepperd, Wendy Baldwin and Debra Dinnage. This time we added homemade cakes to the mix, and were amazed to see people queueing around the corner of our road. That sale raised £900 for Hearing Dogs!

“After that, we began making chutneys and preserves from our home-grown fruit and veg, while Peter contributed his now-famous pasties and chilli sauces. And things just grew from there.”

Since 2021, in addition to their sales at home, Fiona and Rob and their team have been holding the sales between March and October every year at The Grange, adding additional plants from other volunteers and allowing more people to come together and support the charity.

Fiona said: “We could never have imagined how successful the sales would become. We’re so grateful to everybody who has supported us along the way.”

Gill Yeates, Head of Community Fundraising for Hearing Dogs for Deaf People said: “We can’t thank Fiona, Rob and their team enough for their dedication to the charity. Their hard work has helped us train many more hearing dogs who have gone on to change the lives of deaf people. A truly remarkable achievement!”

Anyone interested in becoming a volunteer puppy trainer for Hearing Dogs for Deaf People, or in helping the charity out in other ways, can visit www.hearingdogsfordeafpeople.org.uk/volunteer, email: [email protected] or call the charity on 01844 348129.