Letter to editor: After Christmas, your tree has one final gift to give

With Christmas just around the corner, I want to say a ‘tree-mendous’ thank you to the Peterborough community for their incredible support of Sue Ryder's Christmas Treecycling scheme so far, and to share how people can still get involved this festive season.

Our volunteers are primed and ready once again to collect Christmas trees directly from people's homes across Peterborough and with an optional donation your Christmas tree could become the gift of expert care and support for seriously ill people and their loved ones. 

This sustainable scheme not only benefits Sue Ryder, but also our environment, as collected trees are turned into compost or wood chippings for local parks and woodlands, or used as biofuel, helping reduce landfill waste.  

By participating, you’re truly branching out your support for our cause, and diverting waste from landfill too.  In fact, our Christmas Treecycling scheme last year across the UK saved 7,199 trees from landfill and raised over £119,000 for Sue Ryder, which runs Sye Ryder Thorpe Hall Hospice.

This funded over 4,000 hours of essential palliative care from our dedicated nurses, ensuring that fewer patients face their final moments alone. 

Just under 50% of all people dying in England receive palliative care. But estimates suggest up to 90% may need it. We believe seriously ill people and their families deserve better.   You can help us continue to be there when it matters!

Once the festivities are over, please sign up and make an optional donation for Sue Ryder volunteers to collect your tree and help Sue Ryder Nurses like me continue to deliver end-of-life care and services for grieving families 

To find out more and to book your tree collection before midnight 5 January to be collected between 9-12 January 2025, visit www.sueryder.org/treepeterborough Thank you once again for your support and generosity. 

David Stevenette, Registered Nurse at Sue Ryder Thorpe Hall Hospice in Peterborough