We all know ‘the plant ladies’, the ones who quietly come in and visit Waipuna Hospice twice a week to look after the plants in our offices.
The plant ladies are actually a professional and friendly team from Living Décor.
“Both Gary and I were secondary school teachers – our backgrounds are not corporate business. Our intention is to provide high-quality service to people. It’s not so different from teaching, in a lot of ways.
Teaching is a service too, so what we do now provide another service to others. It’s not just about providing a plant in a pot. We’re contributing to making people feel good. There are a lot of health benefits for having living plants in businesses”.
Victoria and Gary are originally from Whakatane and they provide a free service for the hospice and Cancer Center in Whakatane as well. Once they moved to Katikati, they considered it a natural progression to support Waipuna Hospice. Living Décor also extends its support as far as Hawkes Bay hospice as well as other local community groups.
At Waipuna Hospice, a lot of visitors and patients often tell us how restful our offices are. They frequently say they feel as comfortable as they are in their own home.
Victoria said “we try and help where we can. It’s a way to thank you for all your amazing work. It’s great if our service can make a difference, and that we can do something to give back. It’s a good feeling to see people experience joyfulness when they are close to nature”.
Victoria and Gary have a similar philosophy to Waipuna Hospice in that we both want to provide a high-quality service. We want people to feel like Waipuna Hospice is a home away from home – a place where one is as happy, relaxed, and comfortable. Living Décor is helping us achieve that.
Gary added, “lots of studies show how plants make a working environment healthier and more relaxed. It’s not just about making it look good. It also brings the health benefits and productivity benefits which are being recognised by businesses. In some places, the ‘plant lady’ might be the only person who comes into the office in a day. This becomes an office highlight because it provides an opportunity for a quick chat. On top of that, seeing people’s reactions when plants transform their office makes us feel special”.
Victoria and Gary started Living Décor about 22 years ago from scratch. They now have branches all over the North Island. This is definitely not just because they have beautiful plants. It is a testimony to their friendly professionalism, and their dedication to their services.
We are so appreciative of the plant ladies from Living Décor. Thank you very much for your ongoing support.
Living Décor has been supporting Waipuna Hospice with all the indoor plants, including full maintenance of the plants over a decade. Victoria and Gary Allwood, the Living Décor owners said “we’ve always had a philosophy of supporting community organisations and groups that would normally not be able to afford a hire plant service”.