Festival of Trees and Christmas Shop

Returning for the 19th year!

The Francis House Festival of Trees invites you to bid on a selection of stunning Christmas trees, each uniquely decorated by local organisations, individuals and big brands.

If you place the highest bid before the auction ends, you will get to take the tree home in time for Christmas!

The decorated trees are on display to the public at our magical pop-up Christmas shop at Quayside MediaCityUK (formerly known as the Lowry Outlet Mall) from Saturday 25th October.

They can also be browsed and bid for online (website coming soon!).

Our shop opening hours are:
Monday: Closed
Tuesday: 10am – 4pm
Wednesday: 10am – 4pm
Thursday: 10am – 4pm
Friday: 10am – 5pm
Saturday: 10am – 5pm
Sunday: 11am – 5pm

With thanks to our Festival of Trees sponsor Quayside MediaCityUK.

Sponsor a Tree

Could you, your company/organisation, social club or school support Francis House this Christmas by sponsoring a tree?

Previous sponsors have included Beaverbrooks, Towers Business Park, JP Goldman, Lowbury Construction, Manchester City FC, Manchester United Foundation,  Morrisons, Rotary Clubs and WIs, Nandos, Tesco, The Alchemist, The Lowry Theatre, Cardinal Logistics, and many more!

We will supply an artificial tree (approx. 1.5m) and lights free of charge.  You will be asked to donate the decorations in a theme of your choice. If you wish to include your corporate identity into the theme then go ahead. We encourage tree sponsors to let their imagination run wild creating saleable, tempting trees that you’d be proud to purchase.

We also ask sponsors to donate items such as gifts, experiences or vouchers to accompany their tree. Examples include signed baubles, football memorabilia, luxury hampers, iPads, store gift cards, handmade gifts and children’s toys.

Trees will be available for decoration from the 7th October until 14th October.

If you would like to sponsor a tree, please complete the form at the bottom of this page.

Bid on a Tree

Customers can come along to browse the trees, packed with fantastic gifts, experiences and vouchers in the Francis House pop-up shop from Saturday 25th October until Sunday 14th December (subject to stock levels). From Sunday 7th December when bidding closes, there will be fewer trees to browse as the winning bidders begin taking home their trees.

Bids are placed on each tree either in store or online to raise vital funds for Francis House Children’s Hospice.

Whoever has the highest bid on each tree when the auction closes on Sunday 7th December at 5pm gets to take the tree home in time for Christmas.

Christmas merchandise is also on sale in the pop-up shop, as well as the opportunity to win some fantastic raffle prizes.

With some of the trees fetching hundreds of pounds each, the Festival of Trees raises much-needed income for the hospice and Francis House is grateful to Quayside MediaCityUK for providing a retail unit free of charge, and to all the tree sponsors.