Northamptonshire couple 'felt like VIPs' during Royal Garden Party at Buckingham Palace hosted by the Prince and Princess of Wales
A couple ‘felt like VIPs’ during a Royal Garden Party at Buckingham Palace.
David Woods from Woodford, near Kettering, started selling plants outside his home in the first Covid-19 lockdown in 2020 and has gone on to raise more than £37,000 after the charity scheme blossomed.
His charitable efforts haven’t gone unnoticed and he was named in the 2024 King’s birthday honours lists to receive a British Empire Medal (BEM) for services to the community in Woodford and charitable fundraising for the NHS.
As of this month, the total donated is £37,848.88.
But on May 20, David and wife Hilary Jane left the plant stall in the safe hands of their son Matthew and travelled to London for a Royal Garden Party at Buckingham Palace.
The event was hosted by the Prince and Princess of Wales on behalf of the King, as well as other members of the Royal Family.
David, who couldn’t believe how close to the Palace his reserved car parking space was, said: “It was fun driving there, we felt like VIPs and had a wonderful afternoon.”
David’s story is quite inspirational as he fights the pain of MS every day, following his diagnosis back in 2005.
Having retired early back in 2011, David now devotes almost all his time growing plants to help the NHS, which helps him keep active and gives him so much satisfaction helping others and encouraging others to love gardening.
If you love gardening and wish to support him you can follow his Facebook page here.
David posts every day of the year before the stall opens showing photos of what is available, Tiktok videos and a running total of how much he has raised.
Anyone who would like to donate to help the NHS, via NHS Charities Together, can do so here.
As David’s plant stall and donations ‘keep growing,’ he has a simple message for others and says: “Enjoy your garden and make gardening fun.”