A CHOCOLATE-making company in Upton-on-Severn has come up with a mouth-watering way of raising cash for a charity that helps life-limited children and their families.

Cromwells - a specialist chocolate and furniture shop - is raffling a giant Father Christmas made from the company's home-made milk chocolate.

The hand-decorated Father Christmas is more than 18 inches tall and weighs a whopping 3kg.

It will be raffled in aid of the Acorns' Three Counties Appeal, which is raising cash to build a new hospice for life-limited children in Bath Road, Worcester.

The new 10-bed hospice will provide palliative care and support for more than 250 youngsters from Worcestershire, Herefordshire and Gloucestershire who are not expected to reach adulthood.

The charity needs to raise the final £1m of its £4m appeal to build the hospice, which is due to open at the end of next year.

The new hospice will include a hydrotherapy pool, multi-sensory rooms, and family rooms, as well as facilities for young children and teenagers.

"We've already raised £85 for Acorns from an open day to celebrate the shop's second anniversary," said Sue Hannah, who runs Cromwells with husband Nick and daughter Sally.

"We want to raise as much money as possible for this worthwhile charity and hope lots of chocolate-lovers will support our fund-raising efforts."

Raffle tickets cost 50p and are available from the Church Street shop, with the prize draw taking place at Cromwells on Monday, December 15, at 11am.