Photos | 600 Christmas trees honour young cancer victim and fund research

Six hundred Christmas trees have been sold through pre-orders this year, raising $82,000 and bringing the total in three years to more than $154,000.

Levi was just eight when he died a few days after Christmas in 2018.

He was in year 2 at Burraneer Bay Public School when, five days before Christmas in 2017, he was diagnosed with diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG), which is the most aggressive form of all childhood cancers, with limited treatment options and a survival time of one to two years.

Levi's parents Ben Wheeler and Kath Wakelin told the Leader in the lead-up to the 2019 Sutherland Shire Relay for Life their son was "incredibly brave, right until the end."

Ben Wheeler, who helped distribute trees from the Cronulla Seagulls clubhouse on Saturday, said it was "a bitter sweet occasion".

"Christmas was Levi's favourite time of the year," he said.

"This project is something in which Levi is now involved every Christmas in raising funds for paediatric brain cancer research through the Children's Cancer Institute.

"Thank you to the community for really getting on board.

"We are also so appreciative of all the volunteers for their work."

Shara Reid, whose son Elijah was in the same class as Levi, came up with the idea for the project called Chrissy Trees For A Cause while searching for ways to raise money for the much-needed research.

Ms Reid said the corner shop opposite Burraneer Bay Public School used to sell Christmas trees before it closed and was replaced by Our Father cafe.

"We thought, 'Why don't we try buying some trees wholesale and selling them to people who want to support this important research for kids?'," she said.

"The first time we did it was from my house in Dolans Bay and people came from all over the shire. The support from the community was huge.

"We sold 100 trees in 2019 and made $12,000 and 400 the following year, which raised a further $60,000.

"This Christmas, we have sold 600 trees and that will be another $82,000 for research."

"After the first year, my front yard wasn't big enough and Cronulla Seagulls, for whom Levi played, offered the use of their clubhouse.

"This has been an enormous help to us and we appreciate it greatly."