A NATIONAL healthcare and bereavement charity is encouraging Berkshire residents to make their white Christmas a green one this year by recycling their real Christmas tree.
Sue Ryder’s Treecycling scheme can dispose of post festive Christmas trees for residents who sign up to their green initiative.
Volunteers from the charity will collect trees from people’s front door, front garden or driveway, saving them the trouble, time, and energy of dealing with them themselves.
Real Christmas trees are 100% recyclable and can be turned into compost or wood chippings that can be spread over local parks or woodlands or turned into biofuel, so residents who choose the green scheme will not only be supporting Sue Ryder but will also be helping reduce landfill.
Sue Soffe, senior community fundraiser at Sue Ryder, has shared what a difference Christmas Treecycling makes to Sue Ryder.
She said: “Last year our Christmas Treecycling service across the UK kept 7,199 trees out of landfill, helping to reduce the impact on the environment.
“The initiative also raised more than £119,000 for Sue Ryder, enough to fund over 4,000 hours of expert and compassionate palliative care from our nurses so that fewer patients need face death alone.
“By choosing to recycle your real tree with an optional donation to Sue Ryder, your Christmas tree could become the gift of expert care and support for seriously ill people and their loved ones.
“We’re encouraging Berkshire residents this year to make the tree-mendous choice of an optional donation when you register for our Sue Ryder Christmas Treecycling service so that no-one need die or grieve alone.”
Last year Sue Ryder provided palliative care to thousands of families across the country, including those supported out of Sue Ryder Duchess of Kent Hospice in Reading and through Sue Ryder Palliative Care Hub South Oxfordshire.
Sue Ryder’s bereavement support includes an online community forum, free bereavement counselling service, personalised text support and Grief Kind Spaces in Reading, Finchampstead and Thatcham.
Sue Ryder’s team of volunteers will be collecting Christmas trees from households in the OX10, RG1, RG2, RG4, RG5, RG6, RG7, RG8, RG9, RG10, RG30, RG31, RG40, and RG41 postcodes from Tuesday, January 7, until Friday, January 10.
Collection capacity for the eco-friendly initiative, supported by Rabbits Vehicle Hire, is limited, so people should book early to avoid disappointment.
For more information, and to secure collection by midnight on 1 January 2025, visit: sueryder.org/treethames, call: 0118 9550 433, or email: thamesvalley.fundraising@sueryder.org
