A children’s hospice has reopened its seasonal store for the 17th time in Salford Quays in an urgent bid to raise funds.
Francis House, an organisation that cares for children with life-limiting conditions across Greater Manchester, including in Salford, opened its ‘Festival of Christmas Trees’ pop-up shop at Quayside Media City on Saturday.
The rising cost of living is impacting Salfordians more than ever, with over 20,000 families looking to the city’s council for support this year according to GOV UK.
Because of this, charities like Francis House are fundamental in providing lifelines to Greater Manchester families with poorly children that may be struggling this Christmas.
Julie commented that funding is a constant battle for the organisation, that has been open for over 30 years:
“We need income to keep the hospice open and we only receive around 17 per cent at the moment from the Government.
“We’re open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year and we are the only children’s hospice in the North West.”
Running until December 3, the sparkly Christmas emporium allows visitors to bid from a selection of one-of-a-kind Christmas trees, each bespoke with a selection of handmade gifts, vouchers, football shirts and hampers.
All money raised will go towards funding the 500 plus children and their families that are housed by the organisation.
Julie Williams, a fundraiser for Francis House, said: “The Festival of the (Christmas) Trees is in its 17th year – this year, we’ve got 40 Christmas trees.
“Each tree is sponsored by an individual company or organisation – we provide the Christmas tree and lights and they provide the decorations and the gifts.
“The trees are then put on an online auction and the general public are then invite to place a bid on their favourite tree.”
The public can place bids on their favourite trees by scanning the relevant QR code in-store or by heading to the Festival of Trees website, where full pictures and descriptions of the trees are also available.
Bidding for the trees starts at £70, with the winners being revealed at 5pm on December 3.
The shop is selling a range of Christmas gifts and memorabilia, with all money raised going towards Francis House.
Last year, Festival of Christmas Trees raised over £25,000 for Francis House and this year, the group are hoping to smash that target.
Julie said: “People seem to be a little bit more generous around Christmas time, so this is just another way of giving, but you’re getting something in return.”
According to GOV UK, Salford had a child mortality rate of 8.7 per cent per 100,000 between 2018 and 2020.
Julie stressed how crucial the Festival of Christmas Trees event is in aiding local families whose children need palliative care and may sadly contribute to this statistic.
“Children who come to Francis House come for respite and end-of-life care.
“If you’re looking after a child who’s got a life-limiting condition it’s very very hard work.
“To bring them to a place like Francis House and be able to get on with your own life for a couple of days while we look after their children, it’s very important to these families.”
Some of the other features of the shop include a makeshift wishing well that you can throw coins into and a special memorial Christmas Tree, where members of the public can write a message for their loved ones in exchange for a donation.
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