Festival of Trees
One of our favourite annual events to get you in the Christmas spirit.
A dazzling display of unique Christmas trees.
Francis House Festival of Trees
This exciting annual project involves organisations, community groups and individuals decorating Christmas trees, which are then prominently displayed to the public at Quayside MediaCityUK shopping mall for six weeks in the run up to Christmas. People can bid on their favourite tree instore or online, and the winning bidders can take them home in time for Christmas.
Julie Williams, fundraising officer at Francis House said: “We are so grateful to all of our supporters who take part in the Festival of Trees by sponsoring a tree. The display always looks magical and the variety of trees means that there is something for everyone. We couldn’t do it without the support from Quayside MediaCityUK who every year generously donate a retail unit to the hospice.”
Who gets involved?
Participants and top brands include: Towers Business Park, local Women’s Institutes, J P Goldman, Lowbury Construction, Quayside MediaCityUK, 2 Little Ducks Community Group, Manchester United and Manchester City Football clubs, individuals, plus many others!
"We're proud to have been a part of the Festival of Christmas Trees, a fundraising activity led by the Francis House Children's Hospice. It's inspiring to think that Apadmi and other local businesses have participated in raising thousands of pounds to support the hospice and we can't wait to attend next year."
Garry Partington, CEO Apadmi
How it works
Customers browse the trees, packed with fantastic gifts, experiences and vouchers in the Francis House pop-up shop when the event launches at the end of October.
The trees will also be available to view when the auction goes live at www.festivaloftrees.co.uk where you can place your bids from the comfort of your own home.
The auction starts and the excitement mounts! Whoever has the highest bid on each tree when the shop closes in December 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 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 in 2023 a fantastic £21,000 in profit was raised!
Read about the 2023 eventWhere it takes place
The Festival of Trees is kindly hosted by Quayside MediaCityUK, The Quays, Salford M50 3AH.
Bidding starts at the end of October and closes the first week of December. The pop up shop remains open for a week after bidding ends.
To sponsor a tree call Julie on 0161 443 2200 or email julie.williams@francishouse.org.uk
“I liked the look of the trees and the vouchers have made ideal Christmas presents for the family. The decorations were high quality and most importantly, I didn’t have to dress them myself – it was all done for me!"
Mark Simpkin
