top of page

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.

Most Read

V12 Retail Finance Q3 Data Shows Home Improvement Finance More Than Doubling

V12 Retail Finance Q3 Data Shows Home Improvement Finance More Than Doubling

New quarterly data from V12 Retail Finance shows that UK consumers continued to turn to point-of-sale finance for high-value purchases in the third quarter of 2026.

Wellington’s Shotguns To Pull In The Crowds

Wellington’s Shotguns To Pull In The Crowds

Two astonishing shotguns owned and used by the Duke of Wellington when he was Prime Minister have emerged 174 years after he died.

Barcare Supreme Is UK's Distributor For The Nordik DriPod Glass Dryer

Barcare Supreme Is UK's Distributor For The Nordik DriPod Glass Dryer

Stafford-based commercial catering equipment specialists Barcare Supreme have become the first UK distributor for the Nordik DriPod glass dryer range.

Categories

Oct 20, 2023
3 min read

The Keyfix Non-Combustible Cavity Tray System has played a vital role in the building of Ashley Road East, a major new residential development in Tottenham Hale, by improving installation efficiency and quality on site, and exceeding building regulations.


Ashley Road East is one of two mixed use residential buildings located in the heart of vibrant Tottenham Hale, based conveniently near the Tottenham Hale underground station.


These contracts worth £85 million are part of a wider regeneration scheme, which plans to deliver 1,030 new homes which will sit alongside 15 new retail spaces, co-working and office spaces, a cinema, a new primary care health centre, and two football pitches worth of well-lit elegantly paved public space.

Keyfix has worked alongside brickwork contractor Galostar and main contractor Galliford Try to support architect, KDS Associates, and premier global development firm, Argent Related, in bringing their designs to fruition.


To meet the requirements and tight build programme, Keyfix has supplied 1,747 metres of Non-combustible Cavity Trays (NCCT), 304 Corner Units, and 4,800 Weeps. Keyfix had a relatively short lead time with a turnaround of approximately three weeks, from the first point of contact with the customer, to delivery on site.


The project presented two main challenges for Keyfix. Firstly, the majority of corners had a unique obtuse angle, as opposed to the standard 90-degree angle; making it difficult to meet the project’s specifications. To remedy this, Keyfix worked alongside the site team, using their drawings to manufacture pre-formed corner units to match specification requirements. The preparation carried out by Keyfix helped to accelerate install time once the corner units were delivered to site.


Secondly, Keyfix collaborated with the client to position the tray in the ideal position that was both below the window sill, and above the relieving angle in a compact area; therefore, reducing the overall price for the contractor.

Joel Riley, Contracts Manager at Galostar Brickwork commented: “Keyfix was a great asset to this project. The NCCT was quick and easy to install and didn’t require any extra materials such as sealants, which saved us time and energy. Keyfix’s help onsite to position the tray at the correct angle also helped to reduce our overall costs on this development.”


The Keyfix NCCT was specified due to the self-supporting nature of the tray, meaning that it does not need to be attached to the inner structure, ensuring a swift and easy installation.


Unlike other cavity tray systems, this design requires no additional fixings, sealants or onsite fabrication by the brickwork contractor.


Therefore, installation of the trays did not delay the speed of bricklaying when compared to traditional DPC.


Installed in the outer leaf with no connection with the inner skin, this innovative cavity tray system does not create a thermal bridge, helping the homeowner to save through improved thermal performance. This also produces the benefit of safe-proofing the building from differential movement.

The system comes complete with pre-formed corners and a step-by-step combined component schedule and location plan, which greatly improves efficiency on site by reducing installation time. Moreover, with a lifespan of 125+ years and holding an A1 Fire Rating, the Keyfix NCCT is built to exceed current regulations. It is the only non-combustible cavity tray system that does not rely on tapes and mastics to make watertight joints, therefore eradicating one of the primary reasons for product failure.


Commenting on the project Kieran Coyle, Keyfix General Manager, said: “Our rapid build, non-combustible cavity tray is recognised by brickwork contractors nationwide as being the fastest and easiest system on the market to install, which is one of the principal reasons for the product being selected. The fact the tray is entirely self-supporting and requires no connection to the inner-leaf has been a substantial time saver on this project.”


Kieran continued, “The Keyfix NCCT also has an A1 Fire Rating and will never contribute to fire loading in the building so housebuilders and homeowners can be assured that by installing our system they are future proofing their investment and themselves.”


The Tottenham Hale residential development is a work in progress, with ongoing deliveries from Keyfix. The Keyfix Non-combustible Cavity Tray is playing a fundamental part in the safe and enduring design of a residential development that will create an exciting legacy for North London.


For more information about the Keyfix range of non-combustible solutions visit their website here

Most Read

V12 Retail Finance Q3 Data Shows Home Improvement Finance More Than Doubling

V12 Retail Finance Q3 Data Shows Home Improvement Finance More Than Doubling

New quarterly data from V12 Retail Finance shows that UK consumers continued to turn to point-of-sale finance for high-value purchases in the third quarter of 2026.

Wellington’s Shotguns To Pull In The Crowds

Wellington’s Shotguns To Pull In The Crowds

Two astonishing shotguns owned and used by the Duke of Wellington when he was Prime Minister have emerged 174 years after he died.

Barcare Supreme Is UK's Distributor For The Nordik DriPod Glass Dryer

Barcare Supreme Is UK's Distributor For The Nordik DriPod Glass Dryer

Stafford-based commercial catering equipment specialists Barcare Supreme have become the first UK distributor for the Nordik DriPod glass dryer range.

Categories

John Lewis Money Appoints Director of Financial Services

John Lewis Money Appoints Director of Financial Services

The board of John Lewis Finance, the regulated business behind John Lewis Money, has appointed Charles Offord as Director of Financial Services, John Lewis Money.

Inspirational Teenager Gives Back To CHAS, Raising £389 For Charity

Inspirational Teenager Gives Back To CHAS, Raising £389 For Charity

Alyssa McLean, 19, who has been supported by CHAS for the past nine years, took on Aldi's Supermarket Sweep to raise money for the charity behind her care.

Furniture Village Scoops Best Furniture Retailer Home Awards

Furniture Village Scoops Best Furniture Retailer Home Awards

The UK’s largest family-owned furniture retailer has scooped a major award celebrating excellence across the home and interiors industry.

Recent Posts

bottom of page