Christmas Treecycling scheme raises a tree-mendous more than £87,000 for Sue Ryder

Volunteers from Perkins Engines Company Limited L to R Ozvaldo Azevedo and Nathan Law

The green scheme, which took place earlier this month, saw the palliative, neurological and bereavement support charity, Sue Ryder, which operates Sue Ryder Thorpe Hall Hospice in Peterborough, and their treely amazing volunteers, collect real Christmas trees direct from people’s front garden or driveway in return for a donation.

The collected trees were then chipped and recycled as mulch, with some being taken back to the hospice’s gardens.

This meant that residents who chose to Treecycle were not only helping to raise vital funds for Sue Ryder, but also helping to reduce landfill.

Sue Ryder Thorpe Hall Hospice worked with 50 volunteers and were supported by six big-hearted corporate partners Nene Valley Tree Services, Safe Local Trades, Perkins Engines Company Limited, Whirlpool, DPD and RSA Insurance Group, to collect and recycle trees from postcodes in their area.

The 906 trees collected from across Peterborough were a huge part of the 5822 trees gathered right across the country by Sue Ryder.

Overall the scheme has raised a fir-tastic £87,391 for the charity so far with more donations coming in, which will go towards helping continue its expert and compassionate palliative care and bereavement support.

Helen Kingston, Community Fundraiser at Sue Ryder Thorpe Hall Hospice, said: “We want to say a huge thank you to the local community for supporting our Christmas Treecycle scheme this year. It can be difficult to know what to do with your real tree once the festivities are over, but by recycling with us and making kind donations, you have helped to reduce landfill and raise vital funds so that we can continue to be there for families when it matters.

“We also want to show our appreciation to all of our volunteers for donating their time and for their incredible efforts and hard work – without their support we really couldn’t make the initiative happen.”

Find out more about fundraising events for Sue Ryder in 2023 by viewing our events calendar at sueryder.org/ourevents2023 or by contacting the fundraising team at Sue Ryder Thorpe Hall Hospice on 01733 225 999 or email: [email protected]

Find out more about Sue Ryder at sueryder.org