SCHOOL pupils from Worcestershire are being invited by a virtual garden centre to design their own gardening-themed Christmas card and help raise funds for a good cause.

Children aged 11-years-old and under can enter the competition devised by potterandrest.co.uk and the winning entries will be made and sold in aid of the charity bibic.

Peter Burks, a horticultural expert at the virtual garden centre, said: “We know how creative youngsters can be so we wanted to give them the chance to design their own gardening-themed Christmas card.

“We’re asking them to come up with an eye-catching festive design and incorporate everything we love about Christmas with a gardening twist.

“We will choose one national winner and four regional winners who will all have their cards made and sold in 2015 to raise money for the national children’s charity, bibic, which is our charity of the year.

“The national winner will also receive a £20 voucher to spend on the site as well as a £50 voucher for their school.”

Entries can be hand-drawn or computer generated and can be in colour or black and white.

People should send their cards to hello@potterandrest.co.uk or Potter and Rest, Crypton House, Crypton Technology Business Park, Bristol Road, Bridgwater, Somerset, TA6 4SY, before Monday, January 5.

All entries must be accompanied with the child’s name, age, school and contact details.

The national children’s charity bibic helps children and young people aged from six months to 18-years-old with conditions affecting their development and learning abilities to achieve their potential for a happier and more fulfilled life.

These include developmental conditions such as autism, cerebral palsy, Down’s syndrome, dyslexia, dyspraxia and brain injury.

Mary Matthews, fundraising and PR team leader at bibic, which has its headquarters in Somerset, said: “We’re so grateful to Potter and Rest for choosing to run the Christmas card competition in aid of us.

“We have had fantastic support from the company since it chose us as its charity of the year for 2014.

"We’re hoping to continue our close relationship with it for many years to come.

“We are really looking forward to seeing the winning entries and having the cards sold to raise money for us, we’re sure there will be some brilliant designs.”