The late Leeds Rhinos and England rugby league legend Rob Burrow was diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease (MND) in 2019, just two years after ending his playing career.
The Rob Burrow MND Rose was launched at the 2023 Hampton Court Flower Show. It is a bush rose with soft apricot flowers of up to 40 petals, coating an upright plant of dark green and glossy foliage. The flowers have a myrrh scent.
The Rob Burrow MND Rose is available to purchase from Harkness Roses either as an established plant in a 3-4L pot, or as a bare root. For each sale of this rose,£2.50 is donated to the MND Association which Rob championed and find0-raise for with Kevin Sinfield.
Harkness Roses has launched a new charity rose to raise funds for the Royal Hospital Chelsea.
“The 50-petal Chelsea Pensioners rose had to be scarlet. It had to be tough and hardy – like a Chelsea Pensioner – and it had to be garden-worthy,” says The Royal Hospital’s Head of Grounds and Gardens, Ric Glenn.
One attribute of the variety is its longevity as a cut flower.
The rose is available to purchase from www.roses.co.uk. For every rose sold, a donation of £2.50 goes to the Royal Hospital Chelsea.
The Royal Hospital Chelsea charity depends on the generosity of their supporters to provide the Chelsea Pensioners with the comradeship and care they deserve. By buying a Chelsea Pensioner rose, you can help to support former soldiers, who were prepared to sacrifice their lives, today and for generations to come.
Some 300 Army veterans live at the Royal Hospital today, including those who have served in Korea, the Falkland Islands, Cyprus, Northern Ireland, and World War II.
The Royal Hospital is a Grade I and II listed site, a beautiful architectural legacy left by Charles II and Sir Christopher Wren.
Another new charity rose is The Humane Society’s “Spark of Life”. As is the multi-toned climbing Patricia Boe which raises money for Dementia UK and its Admiral Nurses, who provide life-changing advice and support to those affected by dementia, whenever it is needed. The rose is named after Patricia Boe, the mother of OBE-winning star of musical theatre, Alfie Boe.
Harkness Roses has a range of philanthropic and charitable roses. For every Little Sid patio rose sold, £5 is donated to support the work of Ambitious about Autism, a national charity that runs specialist schools and colleges for autistic children and young people in London and the South East of England.
‘Little Sid’ is named after Sid Wallace, a young boy who is autistic and non-speaking, and the son of television presenter Gregg Wallace who comments : this rose, Gregg said: “Raising an autistic child has many challenges but also great joys, as other families with lived experience will know. Anna and I are very proud of our wonderful son Sid and this rose is a celebration of him and all autistic young people.’
Proceeds from its Menopause Rose go to The Menopause Charity, a registered charity in England and Wales to help develop online and live chat services, to provide vital support to women and people experiencing menopause symptoms. It will also ensure that family, friends, co-workers, employers and healthcare professionals have the information and resources to provide appropriate support.First diagnosed with Invasive Lobular Breast Cancer (ILC) in 2013, former airline pilot Dr. Susan Michaelis initiated the ‘Lobular Moon Shot Project’. £2.50p from the sale of each Harkness Dr. Susan Michaelis Rose will also be paid to The Institute of Cancer Research in London.
Roses have become woke and philanthropic. Harkness has bred various roses to support various charities – Jennifer Rose Sell (The Billy Chip Foundation helping the homeless), Precious Lives (Children’s Hospice South-West), Precious Child (Spinal Muscular Atrophy UK) , Love From Lucy, Born Free, The Sobell ( Oxford’s Sobell House Hospice), Lovely Lauren (Cruse Bereavement Support), Unconditional Love (Pets As Therapy), The Reflection ( Derbyshire Asbestos Support Team), Michael’s Rose (for the homeless in south-west, The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Living Legacy Fund, The Queen Elizabeth 11 Scholarships Fund, Save9Lives (organ donation ) and “Heart Heroes” (children with heart conditions).
The RSPB roses include “Starlight Symphony” and “ Bridge Of Sighs”.
Gardeners and rose lovers also do their bit for the NHS by planting a Nye Bevan shrub rose. David Austin Roses in Shropshire helps the National Charities Together and other health-based charities.
Each sale of the Alexandra Rose and every Generous Gardener English climbing rose sold will help the National Garden Scheme founded in 1927 by Queen’s Nursing Institute council member, Miss Elsie Wagg. For the last twenty-five years ,the NGS – the most significant charitable provider of nursing funding in the UK – has been supporting Marie Curie, Hospice UK and Carers Trust.
Says a spokesperson for the celebrated Shropshire- based rose growers founded by the late eminent rosarian David Austin : “Gardening and health are forever entwined.”
David Austin’s connection with health charities started in 2016 with donations from sales of the Roald Dahl (Ausowlish) rose, when a total of £100,000 was raised for Roald Dahl’s Marvellous Children’s Charity.
The Alexandra Rose Charity was originally set up to support Londoners in poverty. Inspired by a priest in her native Denmark selling roses to raise money for those in need, real roses were substituted for silk ones by the Queen, and Rose Day (February 7th) was created. Money raised was distributed to support Londoners in poverty to access healthcare. The charity has recently addressed food poverty and diet. Queen Alexandra’s great grand-daughter, HRH Princess Alexandra, is its honorary patron.
Harkness, which was established originally in Yorkshire in 1879, also grows The Dame Deborah James Rose to support Bowelbabe Fund for Cancer Research UK. Cancer Research UK.
As the late Dame Deborah said : “ Your legacy is planting seeds that you will never see flower. Your legacy is knowing that you’ve done better for the next generation. Your legacy is having the rebellious hope that the actions you take today will create a better society tomorrow”.