Bath residents are being offered a chance to win a distinctive planter and a bespoke gardening installation featuring former England goalkeeper David James, after the sporting star agreed to take a central role in a raffle organised by community group Up The Garden Bath.
Prize links celebrity and community gardening
The raffle, announced by the Bath-based green community charity, offers one entrant — for a donation of £10 — a specially made planter that was created for the recent Football Festival in the city centre. The winning package will include a full Up The Garden Bath installation and a 90-minute session focused on gardening sustainability and education that will involve David James.
Dave Poulton, co-founder of Up The Garden Bath, said:
“David James has agreed to help us raffle of planter that was specially made for the Football Festival that took place in the city centre last month. For a donation of £10, one lucky winner will get the planter and a full Up The Garden Bath installation that will include David James. The winning package includes a 90 minute gardening sustainability and education work with the UTGB team and our official ambassador, David James.”
Local charity profile and what’s on offer
Up The Garden Bath has become a familiar presence in the city's public spaces, known for installing planters and running community gardening projects. The raffle ties together the charity’s recent festival presence with a fundraising push: the planter on offer was produced especially for the Football Festival held in Bath city centre.
- Raffle entry: £10 per entry
- Prize: Bespoke planter and full installation in Bath
- Additional feature: 90-minute sustainability and education session with Up The Garden Bath and David James
The involvement of a nationally recognised sports figure adds a high-profile element to what is otherwise a grassroots fundraising activity. David James, who won 53 international caps for England during his playing career, will take part in the installation and the education session that forms part of the prize package.
Why it matters for Bath
Community planting and urban green projects have become a visible part of Bath’s public realm, both beautifying streets and creating small hubs for education about sustainable gardening. Initiatives such as this raffle support the charity’s ongoing work and create an opportunity for local people to win something tangible while contributing to a community cause.
For residents, the raffle also represents a chance to engage directly with the team behind the city’s planter installations and to take part in practical learning about sustainable gardening practices — an area of growing interest for local councils, volunteers and schools in the region.
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Organiser | Up The Garden Bath |
| Celebrity | David James (former England goalkeeper) |
| Entry cost | £10 |
| Included | Planter, full installation, 90-minute sustainability & education session |
Organisers say the planter was a feature of the city centre's Football Festival and that the raffle proceeds will support further community planting and educational work. For anyone interested in supporting local green initiatives, the raffle provides an accessible way to contribute while potentially bringing a new planter and an expert-led learning session into a local space.
As Bath continues to balance heritage, tourism and everyday life for residents, community-driven projects that bring nature into the urban environment remain a small but valued part of the city's fabric — and, in this case, a very public role for a household name from the world of sport.
