Wilkinsons Landscaping

Wilkinsons Café, close to Teesside Airport, is inviting youngsters and green fingered Teessiders to come pet a guinea pig at an event to raise money for Tees Valley Guinea Pig Rescue, a charity which looks after unwanted and abandoned pets.

The event, on Saturday 5 August within the café at Wilkinsons Landscapes plant centre, will offer an opportunity for members of the public to hold and stroke 10 different guinea pigs and hear about the various breeds.

Entry to the event is free, but all visitors are encouraged to make a donation to Tees Valley Guinea Pig Rescue, which is ran by Stewart Holman, with the proceeds directly benefiting the organisation's efforts to provide care, shelter, and medical assistance to guinea pigs in need.

Wilkinsons café manager Milli Greener has organised the event due to her own love for the popular pets. She shows her guinea pig collection at competitions across the UK, with Black and Dark Eyed Cream Selfs and Himalayan breeds being her favourites.

Alongside her purebred ‘show pigs’ Milli also has a number of animals that she has rescued and given their ‘furever’ home. It is these guinea pigs, which are mostly mixed breeds and of a friendly temperament, that will be available for the public to interact with.

Milli Greener, café manager said: “Since opening the café, we’ve been looking at different events that we can run that are a little bit different to your average coffee morning. It’s definitely the first Pet a Guinea Pig event I’ve seen!

“Tees Valley Guinea Pig Rescue is a great organisation which does fantastic work with little fanfare, saving guinea pigs which would otherwise end up being released into the wild or put to sleep. Stuart gives them a new lease of life with loving homes or allowing them to live out the rest their lives in its dedicated Sanctuary section.”

Simon Wilkinson, managing director of Wilkinsons Landscapes, said: “We are delighted to support Tees Valley Guinea Pig Rescue through this event. I hope the event will help raise both funds and awareness for the welfare of guinea pigs in need. Maybe some of our guests will be contacting the charity to collect a guinea pig of their own!”

For more information about the Pet a Guinea Pig event and Wilkinsons Landscapes' involvement, search ‘Wilkinsons Café’ on Facebook.

ENDS

NEWS RELEASE: ISSUED ON BEHALF OF WILKINSONS LANDSCAPES

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MEDIA CONTACT: Joss Havakin on 01325 363 436

Notes to editors

Founded in 1981, Wilkinsons Landscapes is operated by Simon Wilkinson, the second generation of his family to run the business.

The Plant Centre is at the heart of Wilkinsons Landscapes and has several inspirational display gardens to view, walk around and enjoy, as well as the largest selection of plants in the North East of England

Located in Eaglescliffe, Stockton on Tees, the plant centre has a true focus on plants perfect for any garden, with a large selection of mature specimen trees, exotic garden plants and fabulous conifers for customers to view and purchase at the very best prices.

Wilkinsons Landscapes also operates a home garden design service covering every aspect of a garden, whether it’s a new area to relax in on those warm, sunny days or need some colourful flower beds to spruce up an outdoor space. Its team of experts are extremely experienced when it comes to design plans and landscaping.