MORE THAN 700 Christmas trees were recycled by Sue Ryder across January, helping raise nearly £12,000 for its work.
The palliative and bereavement support charity ran its annual treecycling scheme early in the new year, collecting the festive firs from the doorsteps in exchange for a donation to its work.
The trees will be chipped and made into wood pellets for biomass burners, used as a mulch for gardens and in nature restoration to support biodiversity, as well as used for food production for example mushroom cultivation.
Volunteers from Sue Ryder Duchess of Kent Hospice in Reading and Sue Ryder Palliative Care Hub South Oxfordshire picked up 721 trees for the Treecycling scheme, raising £11,740.
Sue Soffe, senior community Fundraiser at Sue Ryder Duchess of Kent Hospice, said: “We want to thank everyone who signed up and helped our Christmas treecycling scheme to grow.
“As Sue Ryder continues to battle increasing costs to deliver its care, and with the number of people needing our support predicted to rise, your support this new year is more vital that ever so we can continue to be there for more people at the most difficult times of their lives.
“The Sue Ryder Treecycling Scheme is run entirely by volunteer-power and our appreciation goes out to all the businesses and individuals who donated their vans and their precious time to help us with the collections.
“Our thanks also go to our partners Rabbits Vehicle Hire, Arborfield Tree Care, Cisco, Instavolt and Ashburton Landscaping. Without everyone’s help we wouldn’t have been able to raise such an amazing amount of money.”
Last year Sue Ryder provided palliative care to thousands of families across the country, including from its Sue Ryder Duchess of Kent Hospice in Reading and Sue Ryder Palliative Care Hub South Oxfordshire. The charity also provides bereavement support through its online community forum, free bereavement counselling service, personalised text support and new Grief Kind Spaces in Reading, Thatcham, and other parts of the country.
For more details, log on to: sueryder.org
