Rinsing, drying and counting thousands of coins was not too onerous for staff at a local garden centre - because the cash was all for charity.

The coins were all thrown into a Christmas wishing well at at Aylett Nurseries Ltd on the North Orbital Road in St Albans which raised over £1,520 for The Hospice of St Francis, which cares for people in West Herts with life-limiting illnesses.

Instead of charging for a traditional Christmas grotto, Aylett’s always creates a Christmas display. In 2015 it mirrored the current baking trend by showcasing animated woodland creatures creating tasty Christmas delicacies in a festive Arctic Cake Factory.

Visitors were invited to give a charitable donation in appreciation of their visit - and they did in their thousands.

Julie Aylett, managing director of the nursery, commented, “We’ve been running a festive display for a number of years and for many local families it is a Christmas tradition to visit us during December. We were thrilled to receive so many coins in our wishing well and want to thank everyone who contributed.

“We picked The Hospice of St Francis to be the recipient of the money because of their reputation locally. Everyone knows someone who’s been affected by a life-limiting illness and we wanted to ensure we did our bit for the hospice’s patients and their families.”

Corporate fundraising manager at the hospice, Carolyn Addison, added, “I’d like to thank the staff and visitors at Aylett’s for raising such a fantastic sum for the hospice in the run up to Christmas. The money raised will enable our nurses to provide valuable care for patients here at the Hospice, or in their own homes, and is so appreciated.”