PEOPLE can eat their Christmas dinner knowing they’ve helped a good cause, thanks to a local hospice.

Vegetables grown at an allotment set up by staff and volunteers from Teesside Hospice, in Middlesbrough are now on sale in its charity shops.

The local community can fill their festive dinner plates with freshly grown Brussels sprouts knowing that all proceeds will go towards helping the hospice.

The hospice’s retail area manager, Tracy O’Donnell, came up with the idea of selling fruit and vegetables to raise vital funds two years ago. Her vision led to the establishment of a large allotment on Cargo Fleet Lane that allows for produce to be sold all year round.

She said the venture had been an exciting one for the hospice and added: “It is with great pride that this year we can offer our local community Brussels sprouts for their Christmas Dinner, home grown by and for their local charity.

"With only one hour from the crop being picked it is sold in our shops, this is extremely eco-friendly and allows us to offer the freshest of produce at great prices.”

According to catering manager Debbie Archer, the sprouts will also take pride of place at dinners served up to guests and patients throughout the festive season.

Bags of sprouts cost £1 each and are available from Teesside Hospice charity shops from today (Wednesday, December 12).