Community comes together to help Arthur Rank Hospice top previous tree donations

2016 saw the introduction of the Christmas Tree recycling scheme which raised more than £3000 for the Hospice. Two years on the scheme is flourishing and has surpassed expectations as yesterday (2 January 2018), an even greater number of trees than those collected in 2017, have already been registered.

If you invested in a real Christmas tree and you are beginning to dread the thought of disposing of it, you can still take part in the scheme. Trees in postcodes CB1, CB2, CB3, CB4, CB5, CB22 and CB24 can be registered until 1pm on Thursday 4 January for a donation of your choice.  The process is really simple visit, visit the website http://www.arhc.org.uk/treerecycling.asp, register your tree, tell us where our band of volunteers can expect to find your tree and then ensure it is in position, with all of the decorations and bases removed by 9am on Friday 5 December.

In 2017 the average donation was a very generous £11 per tree and Bec Beattie, community fundraiser who oversees this initiative has been overwhelmed to see this increase to £12.55 this year. Bec added ‘We are absolutely delighted with the community response to this initiative. So far 655 trees have been registered, resulting in more than £8200 in donations. We have been touched by the offer of volunteers to support with the collection and leafleting to help us to raise the £9000 target we have set ourselves’.

If you live outside of these postcodes – whilst the Hospice’s fleet of Christmas-tree collectors are unable to pick your tree up – you can take advantage of the real-tree clean-up operation by dropping yours to the skips in the Hospice’s car park at Shelford Bottom on Friday 5 or Saturday 6 of January 2018. To find out more about this option, please call 01223 675888 during office hours 9am-5pm.

The Hospice delivers care to thousands of patients living with a life limiting illness and much valued support to their families from its home in Shelford Bottom, the Alan Hudson Day Treatment Centre in Wisbech and across the county via the Arthur Rank Community Team. For more information about the services which this initiative will help to support, please visit arhc.org.uk