Appeals: Fairbridge

Fairbridge, a national charity which helps disadvantaged young people living in inner cities throughout the UK, is having two Christmas gala shopping evenings at its Fulham Palace Garden Centre, west London. The centre is run by young people, aged 14 to 25, who have been on Fairbridge's basic training course - 10 days of rigorous outdoor activities, including abseiling, canoeing, rock-climbing and orienteering - designed to draw out a person's positive qualities. The charity, which has 13 centres in the UK, arranges follow-on courses and reckons that 60 per cent of those who do the course either find employment or go back into education. The charity's garden centre provides horticultural and retail training; the evenings, on Monday 7 and Tuesday 8 December, 5.30pm-8.30pm, with Christmas trees, plants, wreaths, garlands and a conservatory shop, will raise money towards the charity's work.

Fulham Palace Garden Centre, Bishops Avenue, Fulham Palace Road, London SW6 6EE, telephone 071-736 2640.