FUNERAL homes across Cleveland are inviting people to pay tribute to their loved ones and help a worthy cause this Christmas.

The homes, all part of the Co-op Funeral Service, have joined the Tree of Life bauble appeal in aid of Teesside Hospice.

Trees have been set up in each of the nine homes and people can write a message to someone who is in their thoughts at Christmas and hang it on one of the trees. They are also invited to make a donation to the appeal.

Phil Hoggarth, divisional funeral service manager, said: "We are really pleased to be supporting this initiative. Hopefully, it will give people the chance to come in and have a quiet moment, and if they want to make a donation as well, that would be excellent."

The baubles will be taken to St Barnabas' Church, Middlesbrough, on Monday where they will be blessed.

The participating funeral homes are: Hilda House, Parkway Shopping Centre, Coulby Newham; Park Lane, Guisborough; T Rea and Sons, Myton Road, Ingleby Barwick; Zetland Memorial House, Co-operative Terrace, Loftus; Memorial House, Linthorpe Road, Middlesbrough; Hetherington's, High Street, Normanby; Station Road, Redcar; Lakeland House, High Street, Skelton; H W Carter, East End, Stokesley; V T Rea, Thornaby Road, Thornaby; High Street, Yarm (all donations to Teesside Hospice); Millfield House, Norton Road, Stockton (donations to Butterwick Hospice), and Strathmore House, Stockton Road, Hartlepool (donations to Hartlepool Hospice).