● Broadcaster Together TV to distribute 100,000 sunflower seeds as part of its Together for Good campaign to connect people to their community

● TV gardener Danny Clarke will inspire viewers into the gardening world

● Gardening expert Philip Turvil, former programme director of Kew Gardens shares his tips to 'get growing', whether it be on a plot of land or just in a simple window box

● To register for free seeds, viewers can register on this website page: www.togethertv.com/sunflowerchallenge

● Together TV premieres the documentary Our Big MS Adventure to mark the MS Awareness Week and support the importance of keeping active and tackle social isolation

 

London, April 2021 - Together TV plans to distribute sunflower seeds to thousands of viewers as part of its Together for Good campaign, which aims to help people's mental health and wellbeing by keeping them active beyond the lockdown.

Launching on the 19th April, viewers can apply for their seed packets by registering to the broadcaster’s website page. Keen growers can then follow a range of specialist Together TV content to help them along their gardening journey over 10 weeks, through a mix of exclusive content, rewards and gentle nudges to get try this as a new hobby.

TV gardener Danny Clarke will inspire viewers and help them make their first steps into the gardening world through tutorial videos available to all the participants.

To launch the campaign, former programme director of Kew Gardens and eco business director of the Field Studies Council Philip Turvil is sharing his tips for how to make the best of your outdoor space this year:

1. Prep the soil - make a welcoming home for your plants by adding peat-free multipurpose compost. This will top up nutrients and lock in moisture.

2. Look after seedlings - keep the soil surface moist and help protect plants from slugs using grit or wildlife-friendly pellets.

3. Water thoroughly - plants prefer a good soaking in summer to reach their roots, rather than a light sprinkling of water that tends to evaporate. Plants are happier with more water, less often.

4. Keep 'em strong - plants get hungry, so feed them with extra compost over the soil surface or liquid feed every month. This will keep them growing well and help them fight off pests and diseases.

5. Trim back n' sides - prune off dead, diseased and damaged growth from your plants to help keep them healthy and sprightly.

Danny Clarke, TV gardener said: “It is such an exciting campaign, to help people connect with a better self and with their community too. I can’t wait to get viewers going with planting and growing their own sunflowers.”

Alexander Kann, CEO of Together TV said: “As the leading TV channel for inspiring positive change, we know that people across the country will benefit greatly from the opportunity to get their hands dirty and do something positive this year. Our campaign aims to help people stay active and well at home by giving them the motivation, knowledge and structure to take up a new hobby and make it a habit.”

The Sunflower Challenge is targeted at easing mental health issues caused by isolation. These issues are often exacerbated by a feeling a lack of hope. And this is also at the heart of the moving documentary “Our Big MS Adventure” premiered by Together TV on the 19th April, at the launch of the MS awareness Week. Multiple Sclerosis – a degenerative disease of the nervous system can cause extreme isolation, with sufferers not just confined to the home but losing hope feeling like prisoners in their own bodies. As hope can be found in the act of planting a seed, so the seeds of hope are planted in the scientific breakthroughs shown in the emotive journeys of ‘Our Big MS Adventure.’ Getting our hands dirty as we plant together - with expert help and support from dedicated programming - we water the seeds of positive change!

Together TV is on Freeview 82, Sky 170, Virgin 269 and Freesat 164, along with being on-demand on My5 and social videos on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram and DailyMotion.

ENDS

 

For further information, photos, videos or an interview with a spokesperson, please contact:

 

Francesca Aita Head of Marketing,

Together TV

[email protected]

 

Notes to Editors

About Together TV

Together TV is the UK’s broadcaster inspiring positive change. We run a national TV channel and digital platform, which inspires people to do good in their lives and communities.

We programme entertaining shows that focus on wellbeing and creativity and we champion diverse voices while highlighting the great work of the charitable and voluntary sector. In doing so, we open our audience’s eyes to the opportunities around them and motivate them to take part.

As a result of watching, our viewers change attitudes, gain confidence and do more for themselves and their community, from volunteering for a charity to getting involved in a creative project or fundraising for a cause close to their heart and to getting help and support. Our vision is a world where people and their communities thrive together.

Together TV broadcasts on Freeview 82, Sky 170, Virgin 269 and Freesat 164, and is available on-demand through www.togethertv.com, Daily Motion, YouTube, Facebook and My5.

Together TV is owned by over two hundred individual shareholders with a wider group of funders and donors alongside the media and digital industry. It is a charitable Community Benefit Society and its board includes representatives from the broadcasters and charity sector alongside elected Members.

The Community Channel operating as Together TV is a charitable Community Benefit Society registered with the FCA (RS007400).

www.togethertv.com

 

ENDS