St Clare plants a memorial tree to provide as a beautiful tribute to loved ones. It helps local families to remember who they have lost while also helping the charity to continue providing free support to people with life-limiting illnesses, their families and carers.

The memory tree is a olive tree which is made up of a hand-carved trunk and hundreds of metal leaves with personal dedications to lost loved ones. Each leaf will carry an inscription to someone special.

Three different types of leaf are available for dedications: bronze, silver and gold coloured. Each kind of leaf can help St Clare provide the excellent care they already do.

Anne Colvill, whose husband Brian was cared for by St Clare, said: "It was my greatest wish to have a gold leaf for Brian up on the Memory Tree at St Clare. I didn’t want flowers and things that wouldn’t last – I wanted something permanent."

Tanya Curry, Chief Executive of St Clare Hospice, said: "Every leaf on our Memory Tree makes a real difference to families like Anne and Brian. The Memory Tree has the potential to raise more than £130,000 in donations every single year for St Clare."

The Memory Tree has been kindly sponsored by local building firm, Oakmont Construction.

For more information about the Memory Tree and how you can dedicate a leaf to your loved one, please contact the Memory Tree Administrator on 01279 773750 or email fund@stclarehospice.org.uk You can also order a Memory Tree leaf on the St Clare website.