Dobbies' Southport store spreads Christmas cheer with real tree donations Garden Centre set to give away Christmas trees

DOBBIES, the UK's leading garden centre, is spreading Christmas joy to:- local Schools, and Nursery groups, within Southport, with real tree donations, as part of its:- 'Not Your Average Community' campaign, in partnership with sustainable real tree grower, Needlefresh.

Set to twinkle corridors and delight children with yuletide cheer, Dobbies' Southport store will be donating Nordmann Fir Christmas trees to local Schools and Nurseries to create a centrepiece for celebrations and is now welcoming nominations.

All of Dobbies' Christmas trees are sustainably grown in environmentally managed fields across Scotland where the growing team do everything from planting, pruning and harvesting by hand, to reduce the impact on surrounding environment, wildlife and plants.

Dobbies' CSR and Community Communications Executive, Chloë Bell, has been delivering Dobbies' Not Your Average Community campaign for 2 years and is excited announce this year's focus. She said:- "Community is at the core of Christmas at Dobbies and we love sharing the festive joy with those around us. We want to help create Christmas magic in local Schools and nurseries in Southport and hope that through the tree donations with Needlefresh, kids can come together, decorate the tree and make memories."

Needlefresh Managing Director, George Hood, added:- "Our sustainable Nordmann Fir Christmas trees make a wonderful centrepiece to festive celebrations as they are bushy and full, and good needle retention. We are excited to see how local Schools and nurseries bring this classic tree to life through their decorations and we are delighted to be partnering with Dobbies on delivering a magical moment for children in Southport."

Nominations are now open. Entries close on:- Wednesday, 25 October 2023, and successful applicants will be contacted in November to arrange a date to collect a Nordmann Fir tree from their local store.

For more information about how to get involved or make a nomination, visit:- Dobbies.Com.

Shadow Minister for Skills visits Hugh Baird College's Healthcare Campus

HUGH Baird College recently welcomed Seema Malhotra MP, Shadow Minister for Skills, to its state of the art Healthcare Campus to see first-hand the College's commitment to excellence in health and social care training.

The:- £8 million Healthcare Campus is home to students and apprentices studying the College's health and social care and healthcare science courses and The Life Rooms, a resource for the local community operated by Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust.

The Shadow Minister toured the campus and met with:- students, apprentices, teaching staff, including:- guests from 1 of Hugh Baird College's employer partners, Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.

Seema Malhotra MP said:- "I was pleased to be able to visit Hugh Baird College's Healthcare Campus, to meet staff, students and NHS partners and to see the way in which they are working in partnership to support excellence in training. Colleges like Hugh Baird College play a vital role in providing apprenticeships and wider learning opportunities in the local community that also help tackle local workForce challenges. That's why I'm proud that Keir Starmer announced in Liverpool that Labour will put colleges at the heart of our mission to break down the barriers to opportunity, delivering a new generation of Technical Excellence Colleges by supporting colleges to specialise in response to local employers' skills needs."

The visit came during College's Week:- a national campaign led by the Association of Colleges (AoC) that shines a light on colleges' vital role in boosting the economy, strengthening communities and transforming lives.

Rachael Hennigan, Principal and Chief Executive of Hugh Baird College, said:- "We were delighted to welcome the Shadow Minister to the College and demonstrate how we support our learners to excel and gain the skills, knowledge and behaviours they need to succeed in the healthcare sector. Our commitment to excellence is mirrored by our employer partners such as the NHS. Their continuous support and collaboration ensure that our learners are industry-ready the moment they enter the world of work. I'd like to thank Seema and her team for taking the time to visit us and for our engaging discussions around education and training. We look forward to welcoming her back to Bootle soon."

For more information about Hugh Baird College's Healthcare Campus, visit:- HughBaird.AC.UK.