Festive tree recycling scheme reaches new heights for Suffolk-based St Nicholas Hospice Care
A bumper crop of trees teamed with a whole heap of generosity means St Nicholas Hospice Care's Christmas tree recycling service has raised its biggest ever total, £7,280.
For the past few years, St Nicholas Hospice Care’s House Clearance Team has paused its usual activities at the start of January and instead focused on its Christmas tree recycling service.
With the pandemic and changing situation, it was uncertain if the service would run in 2021.
However, following all government guidelines and helped by Urban Forestry (Bury St Edmunds) Ltd, the team was able to continue.
The take-up for the service this year was incredibly popular and resulted in 1,850 trees being collected, the biggest standing at an impressive 17ft.
Last year the team picked up 800 trees and raised £3,000.
Darren Devine, the hospice’s house clearance and retail support manager, said: “We are so grateful to everyone who booked a tree collection with us and made a donation towards the charity’s work.
“The year 2020, and the start of 2021 have been extremely uncertain times for everyone, which made being able to run our Christmas Tree Recycling Service even more important for the team and the hospice.
"The response we had from the public was fantastic, and I am so pleased that so many people supported us.
“I would also like to say a big thank you to Urban Forestry (Bury St Edmunds) Ltd for their support.
"They helped to make this year’s collections possible, and their kindness means that all of the funds raised will go straight towards helping the hospice, and they will make a huge difference.”
The trees, which were collected from across Bury St Edmunds, its surrounding villages as well as parts of Haverhill, Sudbury, Mildenhall and Thetford, were all taken to Urban Forestry (Bury St Edmunds) Ltd where they were recycled free of charge.
Reg Harris from Urban Forestry (Bury St Edmunds) Ltd said: “When the hospice asked us if we could support this year’s Christmas tree collection service by recycling the trees we were happy to help.
“Not only have we been able to do something to help a local charity, we’ve also been able to recycle the trees, more than 1,800 of them which is great for the environment.
"To hear that we have helped the hospice raise more than £7,000 really is fantastic.
“Until recently my wife Mel worked for the charity as a hospice nurse and a community nursing assistant for 13 years, so I know personally how important the work St Nics does is to those across the area.”
For more information on the hospice and how its services have adapted during the coronavirus pandemic, please visit www.stnicholashospice.org.uk
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