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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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Leafy Weybridge in Surrey continues to punch well above its weight in the office space market but a growing mismatch between supply and demand could prove crucial, says a regional commercial property specialist.


Charlie Nicholson, regional managing partner for property consultancy Vail Williams, says the town’s unique blend of high-quality, competitively priced office accommodation and exceptional connectivity continues to underpin office market demand.


The Weybridge office market has performed well amid evolving occupier requirements and ongoing workplace recalibration, helped by the combination of its lifestyle offer, top schools and good transport links to London, Heathrow and Gatwick.


Global occupiers such as Samsung and Sony have long-established operations in and around the town, cementing Weybridge’s role as a genuine hub-and-spoke location for international businesses.


Charlie said:

“However, we are seeing office outcomes in Weybridge become increasingly polarised. Buildings that have benefitted from investment continue to perform strongly; meanwhile older or less flexible stock has experienced slower rates of absorption. That’s why building specification and presentation matter more than ever.”

“There is also a clear shortage of modern, fitted Cat A+ and ‘oven-ready’ accommodation, particularly at the smaller end of the market. Suites within the 1,500 to 10,000 sq ft range are experiencing sustained levels of demand, but availability remains limited.”


Charlie, who has more than 20 years’ regional commercial property experience, added:

“Where landlords have invested in high-quality fitted office space in Weybridge, results have been encouraging. The multi-let buildings at The Heights demonstrate that when space is delivered in the right format conventional offices can and do let well here."

“This creates a clear opportunity for landlords and investors. Splitting larger floorplates and committing capital to Cat A+ refurbishments is making the difference between space sitting idle and space letting quickly.”


In 2025, there were 12 significant office lettings in Weybridge, totalling approximately 33,217 sq ft. This represented a significant increase in total square footage leased compared with 2024, reflecting ongoing occupier right-sizing trends but also a renewed transactional momentum.


Office demand remains centred on Weybridge’s established business park locations which benefit from strong access to the M25 and have a proven ability to attract major corporates. These locations have continued to anchor significant occupiers over the last 12 months, notably at The Heights Brooklands and Bourne Business Park.


Headline rents at The Heights are now moving into the early £40s per sq ft, with prime refurbished space typically achieving £38 to £40 per sq ft. Meanwhile the average net effective rents across wider Weybridge in 2025 sat closer to £30 per sq ft. This reinforces the town’s value proposition when compared with many outer London locations.


Charlie said:

“Looking ahead, at one end of the market, demand is emerging for bespoke, pre-let solutions from larger corporates with specific operational requirements."

“At the other end of the market, smaller and mid-sized occupiers continue to drive transactional activity, provided space is delivered in a format that supports immediate occupation and modern working practices."


“Also, flexible workspace providers have also responded to this demand by delivering amenity-rich environments that appeal to experience-led occupiers, helping to provide an incubator offering to start-ups alongside more established corporate occupiers in the area."


“From an office market investment perspective, Weybridge continues to offer long-term development and investment potential. The Local Plan identifies opportunities for intensification of office delivery across established commercial areas, including parts of The Heights campus."


“Not only this, as some older office buildings transition to residential use, those that remain are capable of profitable turnaround through refurbishment, reconfiguration or redevelopment, and are expected to attract sustained occupier and investor interest."


“For global occupiers, Weybridge provides a cost-effective gateway to UK and European markets, meanwhile, for landlords and investors, office demand will continue to flow, if capital is deployed intelligently and space is aligned with modern occupier expectations."


“Of course, Weybridge is not immune to wider economic pressures as we look ahead, but the office market here is underpinned by strong fundamentals – international appeal, excellent connectivity, a compelling lifestyle offer and consistent demand for high-quality space. Few locations within the Surrey office market combine these advantages so close to London.”


Vail Williams, based in Woking, has had a presence in Surrey since the late 1980s and over the years, we have played a pivotal role in some of the region’s major commercial and residential developments.

The firm’s full-service property advice includes commercial agency, investment and development advice, building consultancy, property valuation, planning, lease advisory, property asset management, business rates and occupier consultancy.


Photo: Hitting the Heights: Weybridge in Surrey continues to punch well above its weight in the office space market but a growing mismatch between supply and demand could prove crucial. Pictured is The Heights where rents are now moving into the early £40s per sq ft.


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