Online Florist Branches Out to Support Droitwich Community at Christmas

Arena Flowers, which has been based at Berry Hill in Droitwich since 2020 and is rated as the UK’s number one ethical florist, is donating four computers to the Westlands Community Centre at Meadow Way. The computers will be used to help people on the estate access learning courses and employability programmes online, as well as for day-to-day internet access.

The donation comes after Arena Flowers moved to the area and was introduced, via Worcestershire County Council Skills and Investment, to the work that the Westlands Community Association do in supporting local people

John Hackett, CEO of Arena Flowers said it was important to give back to the community, “We're committed to improving the lives of communities everywhere we operate around the world but it's especially important to begin that work in our new home here in Droitwich. We're excited about the difference we can make to our teams and local suppliers, but we also like to support local community services that can positively impact the community for the long term. This brilliant initiative does just that and we hope the equipment we're providing will enable people to access vital services and learn new digital skills.”

Worcestershire County Councillor Richard Morris, from Droitwich himself, praised the donation, “I was pleased to visit John Hackett and Arena Flowers and welcome the organisation to Droitwich. John made it clear that he would like to support the community and was struck by the opportunity in supporting Westlands with their digital growth. Keeping people connected is crucial, and ensuring people have access to the internet is so important now. Access to the internet shouldn’t be a luxury, it’s a necessity these days and we must do as much as we can to increase digital inclusion, ensuring local communities have the skills and confidence to access digital information and services. It’s thanks to donations such as this from Arena Flowers to the Westlands Community Centre that we can really help connect people. This very generous donation from Arena Flowers will go a long way to helping people here in the Westlands community connect and grow.”

Judy Gibbs, Head of Skills and Investment at Worcestershire County Council echoed Councillor Morris’, “Ensuring local communities have the skills and confidence to access digital information and services is a key strategy for the council and Worcestershire Local Enterprise Partnership. These laptops will really help people to gain new skills and opportunities, skills that can help them achieve better education and employability, skills that they can use within their own communities. It gives people on the Westlands estate better access to online learning potential and can access some of the many courses and training programmes that we offer. and to feel safe online.

“Also, thanks to our partnership with the National Databank they can also make use of free online data vouchers for those most in need, this means that despite the current cost of living situation people can make use of warm spaces in the community such as Westlands Community Centre and Worcestershire’s libraries and be able to get connected and stay connected.”

Arena Flowers delivers ethically sourced and sustainably packaged flowers across the UK, works exclusively with sustainable and Fairtrade growers and is a member of the Living Wage Foundation.