Christmas tree recycling raises £24,000 for charity

A Christmas tree project recycled nearly 1,500 trees and raised almost £24,000 for a bereavement charity.

Sue Ryder, which runs the Thorpe Hall Hospice in Peterborough, collected real firs across the city with the help of 56 volunteers as part of its Treecycling scheme.

While some whole firs were donated to Noddy's Ark in Stilton for their goats, the rest were converted into compost or wood chippings. The charity did not charge for the collection service but asked users for a donation.

Leonie Hatcher, charity's community fundraising manager, said: "We want to say an enormous thank you to everyone who signed up and helped our Christmas Treecycling scheme flourish."

"Your participation helps us be there for more people during the most challenging times of their lives", she added.

"We would also like to extend a huge thank you to our brilliant chipping partners, Drayton Estates Group Ltd, Hudson Timber and Gary's Garden Tree Care, whose support ensured the trees were responsibly chipped and recycled."

Last year, the Christmas Treecycling scheme collected more than 9,000 trees nationally, raising a total of £166,777. Across Peterborough, volunteers collected 1,391 trees and raised about £23,000.

The funds raised through the scheme support Sue Ryder's work to offer palliative care and bereavement support.

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