An Altrincham garden centre has given away Christmas trees to local schools.

Dobbies, a nationwide garden centre chain, is announcing five nursery groups and local schools who are set to receive a free real Christmas tree from its Altrincham and Marple stores as part of its ‘Not Your Average Community’ campaign, in partnership with tree grower Needlefresh.

Dobbies’ Christmas campaign aims to support communities local to its Altrincham and Marple stores by spreading the festive spirit.

Schools and nurseries from across the UK were invited to nominate themselves to receive a real Christmas tree donation.

Sixty-nine per cent of entries were from nurseries and 31 per cent were from schools.

Dobbies’ Altrincham and Marple stores will welcome St Hugh’s Catholic Primary School in Timperley, Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Primary School in Partington, Navigation Primary School in Altrincham, Banana Moon Day Nursery Altrincham, and St Bernadette’s Catholic Primary School to come along to choose a Nordmann Fir tree, making sure children across Greater Manchester can experience the magic of Christmas.

Dobbies’ community communications executive Chloë Bell was delighted with the response to the campaign.

She said: “We’re amazed by the number of entries and nominations for this year’s campaign and would like to thank everyone for spending the time to get involved.

“Christmas marks a magical moment in our childhoods, and we’re thrilled to be bringing some festive cheer to young members in our communities this year.

“Needlefresh has made this campaign possible with their generous support, and we’d like to extend our thanks to George and his team for all their hard work.

“A huge thank you to our Altrincham and Marple stores for all their help and hard work supporting their local communities.”

Needlefresh managing director, George Hood, added: “Our sustainable Nordmann Fir Christmas trees make a wonderful centrepiece to festive celebrations, and we’re excited to see how the kids bring this classic tree to life.

“It’s a pleasure to be supporting so many nurseries and schools across the country this year in partnership with Dobbies.”

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.

Marcus Eyles, horticultural director at Dobbies Garden Centres, recommends positioning your real Christmas trees in a cool, dry place inside away from any direct heat and using a water-holding stand.

Marcus also recommends checking the water levels daily and topping up as required to keep your tree looking fresh throughout the festive period.