Help My Brother Rebuild His Gardening Business

Hi Everyone

I'm Suzie, and I'm trying to help my brother, Phil Hardy.

Taking a new opportunity after redundancy during COVID and needing an income for himself and his son, my brother decided to follow his dream of working for himself. Starting small as a handyman, they worked incredibly hard, often doing low-cost jobs for friends and neighbors, gradually building up his skills, tools, and reputation. Over time, he created a successful dad and son local gardening business called Elemental Creations.

Unfortunately, in the early hours of December 31st, he was robbed, and a total scumbag stole his entire collection of specialist gardening tools, CCTV has caught him doing 5x trips, and it looks like he had the gall to call a taxi as his get away vehicle for goodness sake! These are tools Phil's spent nearly £10,000 on over the years. The police recognise the thief, and have linked it to a string of thefts in the area, but sadly, there’s little chance of recovering what was taken.

Without these tools, he simply can’t work or make a living. On top of the financial strain and anxiety of how he's going to pay the bills, it’s been incredibly hard for him emotionally. He’s heartbroken to be letting down his regular customers, many of whom are elderly or part of local churches and community groups. Some of the work he does for them, he doesn’t even charge for, because he genuinely cares about giving back.

Phils more reliant on power tools than potentially other gardeners as he's had back surgery and can't bend very well. Whilst it'll take a lot more to replace everything, we’re hoping to raise about £1500 which we hope is enough to start to replace the most essential ones—a Kombi unit, a strimmer, a leaf blower and vacuum, and a hedge trimmer—even if it’s second-hand equipment, so he can get back on his feet and start earning again while rebuilding his collection over time.

My brother’s the kind of person who would never ask for help himself, which is why I’m doing this on his behalf. He’s a proud and independent guy, but right now, he’s struggling. Your support, no matter how small, wouldn’t just help him replace his tools, it would remind him that he’s not alone and that people care about him and what he’s built.

If you’re able to contribute or even share this page, it would mean so much to us. Thank you for taking the time to read this and for any help you can give.