Green-fingered York charity fundraisers proved that wishes can come true when they raised nearly £4,000 for Macmillan Cancer Relief.

Staff and customers alike pulled out all the stops at Deans Garden Centre, at Stockton-on-the-Forest, after voting to raise money for the cancer charity.

A total of £1,923.52 was raised over the course of the year through various innovative fundraising initiatives, from a visitors' wishing well to raffles and carol singing.

Bosses at Deans matched that total, making an overall donation of £3,847.

Garden centre partner Helen Jones said: "We're absolutely delighted to be handing over such a fantastic amount of money to this worthy cause."

Nikki Hawkins, fundraising manager for Macmillan in York said: "Thanks to the support of local businesses like Deans and their generous staff and customers, we will continue to make a real difference to people living with cancer and their families."

Updated: 09:21 Saturday, April 17, 2004