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Garden Centres Raises More Than £100K For Martin House Children’s Hospice



Yorkshire Garden Centres has reached a major fundraising milestone after raising more than £106,000 for Martin House Children’s Hospice since the partnership began in April 2025.


Across its seven branches, colleagues and customers have thrown themselves behind the partnership, from bake sales and raffles to running, cycling and dragon boat racing. Each branch has its own charity champion and fundraising target, while the Pennies initiative gives customers the option to add 25p to their purchase at the checkout.


Staff have taken on individual challenges, including Dry January and the Great North Run, while CEO Mark Farnsworth has organised and joined cycling challenges. Colleagues also entered two sunflower-themed teams into Martin House’s Dragon Boat Race and took part in an in-store spinathon, cycling the equivalent distance from their stores to the hospice.


Last year, the company played a major part in Martin House’s 36-hour giving challenge for THE BUILD, raising more than £7,000.


Support has gone beyond fundraising too. Staff have donated items to Martin House’s retail team, contributed prizes to the Glitter Ball auction and donated Lego to the hospice. The company has also provided table centres for Martin House Ladies’ Lunches and welcomed children and families to Christmas events and the opening of its Otley Grass Hopper play centre. The partnership will run until June 2027.


Mark Farnsworth, CEO of Yorkshire Garden Centres, said:

“Reaching more than £100,000 is a fantastic milestone and is down to the enthusiasm of our colleagues, customers and charity champions across all seven of our centres.”

“Martin House does incredible work for children and families across Yorkshire, and our teams have really embraced the partnership. Whether it’s taking on a personal challenge, jumping into a dragon boat or simply asking customers to add 25p at the till, everyone has found their own way to get involved.”


“We’re incredibly proud of what we’ve achieved together so far and look forward to continuing our support.”


Hannah Finan, Partnership Manager at Martin House, said:

“We’re hugely grateful to everyone at Yorkshire Garden Centres for reaching this incredible milestone. What makes the partnership so special is the sheer variety of ways their teams have chosen to support us. From major fundraising challenges to donations, events and welcoming the families we support, their commitment has reached right across Martin House."

“More than £106,000 is an amazing achievement and will make a real difference to the children, young people and families who rely on our care.”


Each year, Martin House supports more than 550 children and young people with life-shortening conditions, and their families, across West, North and East Yorkshire.


Its specialist teams provide care at the hospice in Boston Spa, in hospitals and in families’ own homes, including planned short breaks, symptom management, emergency care and end-of-life care.


Providing this specialist care costs Martin House around £13 million every year, with the majority coming from voluntary donations and fundraising.


For further information about Martin House Children's Hospice and how to support it, visit here.

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Croxsons, a 150-year-old family business that manufactures premium glass packaging for the food and drink sector, has developed the country’s first British-made sparkling wine bottle.


The Sovereign bottle has been designed to elevate and support the burgeoning English and Welsh wine-making industry closing the provenance loop from vineyard to bottle. Winemakers have until now relied entirely on imported bottles transported across Europe.


The English and Welsh wine industry is one of the fastest growing agricultural sectors in the country with over 1000 vineyards (WineGB July 2024) and is estimated to be worth £422m in 2025 growing at a CAGR of 3.5% over the last five years (IBISWorld November 2025).


Sales of sparkling wine have risen 187% since 2018, from 2.2m bottles to 6.2m in 2023 (WineGB), making this the perfect time to bring sparkling wine bottle production home.


The Sovereign bottle will be produced in England and rather than the traditional green colour of European sparkling wine bottles, the British bottle will be made using a distinctive amber glass. This will give the bottle a strong shelf standout and clear British provenance.


Tim Croxson, CEO of Croxsons commented on the launch;


“We are incredibly proud to launch Sovereign, the UK’s first British made sparkling wine bottle, delivering improved sustainability while ensuring British drinkers enjoy wine that is British through and through."



“Six generations of our family have been involved in the wine trade, beginning as a bottle supplier to the London wine trade 150 years ago, so it feels particularly fitting that we are now helping the English and Welsh winemaking industry deliver a truly British sparkling wine bottle.”

The Sovereign bottle uses 77% recycled content which improves its sustainability credentials and with a shorter journey from factory to vineyard, it will reduce road-miles for millions of bottles traditionally transported from France, Germany and Italy.


This launch builds on Croxsons’ wine expertise working alongside English wine brands including Lyme Bay and Ridgeview Wines.


Matt Gayler, Operations Director at Ridgeview Wine said:

“Seeing a UK-made sparkling wine bottle available to producers is a great milestone - it shows just how far the industry has come."

“As we continue to build the reputation of English wine both at home and internationally, having domestically manufactured, high-quality packaging supports our identity, sustainability and ambitions."

 

“It’s a positive step forward and we’re grateful to those who’ve worked hard to make it happen.”


The Sovereign bottle will be produced in March 2025 and can be ordered direct from Croxsons .



 



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