Palmer Plants

12/09/2026

How gorgeous are these Hellebore that have just arrived! 😍
These hardy little plants will bloom through until early Spring and provide year round interest as many varieties are evergreen! 💚

10/09/2026

💙 BIG AL — ALUN JONES 💙
A life of football, family, friendship and making a difference

As many of you know, we are raising money in aid of The Lewy Body Society, and we wanted to tell you a little bit about the very special man at the heart of our fundraising — Alun “Big Al” Jones.

Alun was born on 20th July 1947 in Liverpool. As a teenager, he played football for Wigan Athletic, who were a professional club at the time. Football was to become a huge part of Alun’s life — and, as so many people will know, a huge part of the lives of the thousands of children he would go on to coach.

In 1970, Alun married his beloved wife Ann in Liverpool. They went on to have three daughters: Maxine, born in 1970, Shelley in 1973 and Rachael in 1980.

And then came the next generation — his six grandchildren: Kaya (1991), Rebecca (1996), Callum (1999), Jack (2002), Sam (2004) and Nicole (2007). ❤️

Alun is also a very proud great-grandad, with Isaac (2018) and Violet (2024), and another great-granddaughter on the way, due in January. ❤️

The family moved to Leeds in 1971. Maxine and Shelley apparently picked up their mum and dad’s Scouse accents, while Rachael, much to their amusement, ended up sounding very broad Yorkshire! 😂

Alun played football for various teams before moving into coaching, including coaching at Fforde Grene and other local teams.

Then, in 1982, the family moved to Pudsey — and it wasn’t long before John Palmer got wind that Alun was in town. John turned up at the family home, keen to get Al involved with Farsley Celtic.

And so began a relationship that would last for decades.

Alun became a huge part of Farsley Celtic, and later founded Alun Jones Shooting Stars, going on to coach thousands of children over the years. For so many of them, Al wasn’t just a football coach — he was someone who encouraged them, believed in them and helped them grow.

Ann jokes that she didn’t see Al again until Covid!

His relationship with John Palmer remained incredibly special right up until the end. When John became seriously ill, Al visited him at his bedside before John passed away nearly four years ago.

Football wasn’t Alun’s only passion or career. Over the years he also worked at Leeds Grand Theatre and for Yorkshire Television, where he was involved in the very first episode of Emmerdale Farm.

And there’s another side to Al that many people may not know…

Alun is a published poet. ✍️

He has written numerous poems over the years, including one particularly special poem about the Tooth Fairy which he wrote especially for his daughter Rachael — a poem that brought her to tears. ❤️

That really sums up Alun.

A footballer.
A coach.
A dad.
A grandad.
A great-grandad.
A husband.
A friend.
A poet.
A mentor to thousands.
And, to so many people, simply Big Al.

Alun is still with us, but sadly he is now very poorly and receiving palliative care.

We want to make sure that while he is still here, we celebrate the incredible life he has lived and the huge impact he has had on so many people.

We are raising money in Alun’s honour for the Lewy Body Society, to help raise awareness and support research into this cruel disease.

If Alun has ever coached your child, encouraged you, made you laugh, shared a football story, worked alongside you, or simply been a part of your life, we would love you to share your memories of Big Al in the comments. 💙

And if you are able to donate, no matter how small, we would be incredibly grateful.

For Big Al. 💙



Link to just giving page

https://www.justgiving.com/page/palmerplants?utm_medium=FR&utm_source=CL

08/09/2026

Wow, our Christmas Wreath Making tickets went crazy since being released! There are still plenty of tickets available however some dates are limited! 🎄
Thank you so much to everyone who has booked so far, we can't wait to see you at the workshops, we better get busy shopping for supplies!!! 😆

06/09/2026

Happy Sunday! 💜

It definitely feels like an Autumnal day today! We spotted this gorgeous Hibiscus flower though in between the rain showers! 🤣

Open until 4pm today!

05/09/2026

Have you got a ticket, this is set to be a fantastic afternoon, with live music, a dj, stalls and more!

Book here - https://www.palmerplants.co.uk/store-dbHaY/p/palmerfest-2026

We're so excited there's just TWO weeks to go until we get underway with PalmerFest 2026! 😆

This is a family friendly music festival, there will be 7 different acts performing throughout the afternoon! The fabulous will be running a 2hr sessions for the kids (separate ticket required when booking)!
We will have a variety of local stallholders and pizzas from the fantastic !
The bar will be open and the tunes playing, all in aid of an amazing charity The Lewy Body Society! There will be a raffle that we will be starting next week to help raise funds too, keep an eye out for some amazing prizes!

Tickets available here - https://www.palmerplants.co.uk/store-dbHaY/p/palmerfest-2026

04/09/2026

Our Christmas Wreath tickets have been selling all day today, did you get yours? 🎄🥂
Check out these beautiful wreaths made at last years workshops! 💚

04/09/2026

The day has come, our highly anticipated Christmas Wreath Making and Prosecco Evening tickets are now LIVE!🎫🎄

It's the perfect way to start the festive season you will learn to design your own Christmas Wreath alongside our garden centre professionals. There will be a complimentary glass of Prosecco on arrival (or soft drink). You can add on a bottle of Prosecco when booking your tickets for £15! 🥂 Food will be available to purchase on the night from Little Leaf Cafe. 🌭

Please note we now have a fully licensed bar so it is not bring your own.

Anyone with a large booking (10+) please drop us a message to organise!

We can't wait to see you all! 😆

For more information or to book please follow the link ➡ https://www.palmerplants.co.uk/store-dbHaY/p/wreath-making-and-prosecco-evening

03/09/2026

Now this is what we call a shopping trip! 😲🌿
Think someone left the budget at home! 🙈🤣
An incredible day spent checking out some new stock, deliveries in coming! 💚

30/08/2026

It's time....🎄

There has been lots of organising and checking the calendar but these are the OFFICIAL dates for our Christmas Wreath and Prosecco Evenings for 2026!
We have also kept the SAME price as last year too, how good is that! Tickets will be £45 and include a complimentary glass of Prosecco! 🥂

Get messaging the group chat, family, friends, work or anyone else you would like to attend with and find a date that works and then on FRIDAY 4th September, tickets will go live!

All workshops will run 6pm - 8pm!

These workshops are extremely popular and dates can sell out quickly, if you are a large group (10+) please drop me a message and we can get you booked in!

27/08/2026

If you're planning a Bank Holiday doing jobs in the garden then don't panic, we are OPEN all weekend! 😆
🌿If you want to freshen up your baskets and pots we've got plenty of Autumn bedding plants
🌿 If you want to give your planters a top up of compost we've just had a delivery of multi-purpose compost
🌿 If you want to get some Autumn seeds sown we have got seeds, pots and trays to get you started!

Or want to get out the garden? Why not call in for 's monthly Craft Market on Sunday 10am - 3pm!