Bents Garden & Home smashed its fundraising target for 2013 by more than £4,500 to raise a staggering £17,023 for its charity of the year, The Christie, and allowing the organisation to buy a state-of-the-art Intensive Care Bed.

Mary McLaughlin from The Christie charity visited Bents to accept the donation and was joined for the occasion by The Christie Bear and Joel Oxberry with Humphrey Bear from Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital, the Centre’s 2014 charity of the year. 

Said Matthew Bent, Managing Director at Bents Garden & Home:  “Once again our colleagues and customers have been hugely generous in helping us to raise such a fantastic amount.  The Christie is the largest cancer centre in Europe treating more than 40,000 patients each year. 

"It has been pioneering cancer research breakthroughs for over 100 years and we hope that our donation will go some way towards helping their work continue well into the future.  

“We are now looking forward to working with Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital during 2014, and hope to be as similarly successful in our fundraising achievements.”

Mary McLaughlin added: “We would like to thank everyone at Bents and all their customers for the wonderful support and generosity they have shown The Christie throughout 2013. The Christie charity relies on donations from companies like Bents to help provide the best treatment and care for cancer patients at The Christie.” 

Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital is now the largest single-site children’s hospital in the UK, looking after over 200,000 young people each year and providing the very best care in a variety of specialities including bone marrow transplantation, burns treatment and critical care.  

Bents has once again set itself a target of £12,500 to help fundraise for improved treatment, care and research. 

Said Joel Oxberry from Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital ”“RMCH is very excited to be Bents’ chosen charity. Donations we receive are crucial in ensuring we can improve the care, research and treatment for children throughout the UK; we cannot wait to see the difference that Bents can make!”

Pictured: Mary McLaughlin and The Christie Bear with Matthew Bent and Humprey Bear and Joel Oxberry from Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital.