Festival of Trees – it’s a wrap

With the decorations put away for another year, the 2022 Francis House Festival of Trees ended on a high with the trees finding new homes for Christmas and the event raising a fantastic £25,000 in profit for the hospice.

More than 40 unique trees sponsored by businesses, individuals, community groups, membership organisations and non-profits were on display to the delight of visitors at Quayside MediaCityUK in the run up to Christmas.

Organisers, Francis House Children’s Hospice were thrilled to see the return of a number of regular sponsors as well as welcoming new ones including DLA Piper, The Lowry Theatre, St Pierre Group and GMI Construction.

The tree auction proved popular with the public who placed bids ranging from £70 to £700 via a purpose built online shop which colourfully displayed details of each tree and its gifts. As bidding closed on December 4, the total amount from all the bids combined raised an impressive £9,000.

The Festival of Trees pop-up shop was also home to a range of seasonal items for sale including Christmas cards, wrapping paper, decorations and gift items and the ever popular range of Elf on the Shelf products.

A wishing well formed the centre piece of the shop, drawing in children and adults to throw a coin and make a Christmas wish. Also on view was a Francis House memory tree, decorated in more than 700 beautiful messages to loved ones.

Julie Williams, Francis House fundraising officer and organiser of the Festival of Trees said: “We are extremely grateful to all the volunteers who helped with the setting up and running of the shop. A special mention goes to Mary and Alan Gillatt who although supposedly retired, were such a great help with this project.  We must also thank David and Esther Woodrow as the Festival of Trees was their idea some 16 years ago.”

“On behalf of Francis House I would like to thank our hosts Quayside MediaCityUK, who each year donate a unit in the centre for our use and who support Francis House as their chosen charity throughout the year.”

 Francis House would like to thank all of the 2022 tree sponsors.

Morrisons Bredbury and Cheadle Heath, Newell Brands, Lowbury Construction Ltd, Weightmans LLP, Manchester City Football Club,  RTC (CitNOW Group), the Cash Family, Tesco East Didsbury, Manchester Rotary Club,  Apadmi,  JP Goldman, Urmston and District WI, Swizzles Matlow Ltd, Nando’s MediaCity, Manchester Occupational Therapy Services, Rotary Club Worsley, My Learning File, Maggie Karen and Gill, Cardinal Maritime Ltd, Manchester United Foundation, Towers Business Park Didsbury, Alchemist MediaCity, Quayside MediaCityUK, Uplift Café & Knitting Group Stretford, David Woodrow’s Out of Africa,  Cast of Coronation Street, PMS International Ltd, The Cadbury Shop, Kane and Friends, St Pierre Group, GMI Construction, 2 Little Ducks Community Group, Eccles Cakes WI, Intechnica, Nandos, DLA Piper and Salford Angels WI.