STAFF and volunteers at St Leonard's Hospice in York have got Christmas all wrapped up.

They are busy getting into the Christmas spirit by preparing for their Christmas Fair next month.

The festive event will take place at English Martyrs' Church Hall in Dalton Terrace, York, on Saturday, November 16, from 11am to 2pm.

Stalls will offer a wide selection of goods, including gifts, cakes, jams and preserves, books, crafts, linens and bric--brac, and there will be a special children's stall with games and books.

Also on sale will be the new 2003 St Leonard's Hospice Calendar, York Past And Present, which contrasts scenes of York today with how they looked in old photographs, and a new selection of Hospice Christmas cards will also be up for grabs.

A caf will offer light refreshments to those who find their Christmas shopping exhausting, and there will also be the chance to win on several tombolas, including a special one for children, with a prize every time.

Hospice organisers also hope that Father Christmas may find time in his busy schedule to visit the fair.

Helen Moreton, hospice community fundraiser, said: "We hope lots of people will visit our Christmas Fair and spend generously.

"All the proceeds go to help St Leonard's Hospice in its work of caring for local people with life-threatening illnesses, and their families."

The Mount School has offered the use of its car park in Driffield Terrace for fair-goers.

Updated: 12:23 Saturday, November 02, 2002