Wyevale Garden Centres is aiming to raise significant funds for its national charity partner, Marie Curie, this Christmas.

All money raised will help Marie Curie Nurses provide more free care to people with terminal illnesses in their own homes and in the charity’s nine hospices.

A number of activities will take place across each of the 143 garden centres in the newly re-branded Wyevale Garden Centre group as part of its ‘Gardens for Good’ community programme, which recognises the benefits that gardens and gardening can bring to individuals and local communities:

Memory Trees – every garden centre will display a special Christmas tree which customers can decorate with gold stars personalised with the name or memory of a loved one in return for a donation.

Stock Our Shops for Christmas - every garden centre will encourage staff and customers to bring in their unwanted items to donate toMarie Curie Shops. The activity will run until December 12. The goods will be sold duringthe Christmas period, where on average, every bin bag sized bag of goods donated has a value of £20 for Marie Curie, which pays for anhour of nursing care.

Christmas raffle - staff and customers will be invited to enter a raffle for £1 a ticket which is drawnon December 19. First prize is £5,000 or a luxury family holiday to Lapland, and there are prizes of £500 or an iPad, £250 and 26 runner-up prizes.

Christmas jute bag (below) - 40p from the sale of each £3.99 bag will be donated to Marie Curie.

Gift ideas

• Briers has created a range of Marie Curie products:
• Ladies Cotton Gloves being sold for £4.99 with 50p being donated to Marie Curie
• Men’s Rigger Gloves being sold for £4.99 with 50p being donated to Marie Curie
• Premium Aluminium Bodied Secateurs being sold for £9.99 with £1 being donated to Marie Curie
• Umbrella being sold for £5.99 with 60p being donated to Marie Curie

Further activity is happening on a local level. Wyevale Garden Centres are donating Christmas trees to each of Marie Curie’s five hospices in England, and individual garden centres are organising Christmas markets and Santa grottos to raise funds for the charity.

All funds raised will help Marie Curie Nurses to provide more free care to people with terminal illnesses in their own homes or the charity’s hospices meaning they can continue to enjoy and benefit from the garden they have tended over the years or the hospice garden, which provides a relaxing environment for families to spend time together.

Stephen Murphy, Chairman, at Wyevale Garden Centres said: “We’re so pleased to be helping Marie Curie this Christmas. We know that many people being cared for by Marie Curie Nurses like to be at home or in the hospice because it means they can enjoy their or the hospice’s garden. It’s great to know that people who love gardens and gardening will be helping terminally ill people be cared for at home or in a hospice this festive season.”

Marie Curie Nurses will be working over the Christmas period to provide care and support to terminally ill patients and their families, at home or in one of the charity’s hospices. For many terminally ill people it would not be possible to remain at home over Christmas without the help and support of Marie Curie.

Olive Hoare, Marie Curie Nurse said: “Christmas is often both a happy and sad time for the terminally ill people we care for and their families. They are glad to be able to spend this special time of year together but celebrating, what is very likely to be, their last Christmas together can be very emotional.

“One Christmas Eve, I was caring for a very poorly lady who was determined that her family went out to midnight mass. They had originally refused, wanting to spend the time with her but when I could see how much it meant to my patient I persuaded them to go. As soon as they left she said: ‘Are you any good with wrapping?’ pointing to a bag full of presents. I spent the next hour wrapping and reminiscing with her. Being able to give her and her family happy memories of that last Christmas together is what my job is all about.”

Wyevale Garden Centres has chosen Marie Curie as their first national charity partner and is aiming to raise over £500,000 nationally from 2014-2016 to help Marie Curie provide care to people with terminal illnesses in their own homes or in one of the charity’s nine hospices.