2025 Small Business Grant winner

Sarah Vafidis has won our 2025 Small Business Grant. She runs a fledgling boutique nursery/flower farm called Patience Petal at Penshurst in western Victoria. As a person living with disability and chronic illness, she wanted to provide a nurturing place where people can come to destress with nature. In addition to her nursery, she currently offers pick-your-own sessions which incorporate flower-arranging classes. She hopes to use her grant money for the construction of a ‘She-Shed’ where she can offer dedicated horticultural therapy sessions to the local community.

Sarah’s response was as follows:

“I am deeply humbled to receive this email today, and cannot put into words how to thank you all enough for this opportunity to grow!

I started my small business Patience Petal with a huge leap of faith, and being awarded the 2025 EWHA Small Business Grant means the absolute world to me. I am beyond grateful for your support in my vision, and for seeing potential in both me and my business as I grow and nurture my community-minded flower-based business with my young family. I look forward to meeting you all and likeminded women later this year, and cannot wait to be able to grow Patience Petal”!