VOLUNTEERS for a fund-raising Christmas tree collection scheme are hoping to break records in raising money for two local charities.
Now in its fourth year, the Coventry and Warwickshire Charity Christmas Tree Collection – which collects used Christmas trees for a charity donation – has set ambitious targets, is aiming to collect 4,000 real Christmas trees across the weekend of January 13-15.
The appeal, which raises much-needed funds for local charities The Myton Hospices and Pass The Smile, started in 2020 when a small team of volunteers in four vans collected 362 discarded trees.
In 2022, the scheme expanded to 125 volunteers and 2,500 trees – raising £34,000 in the process. The project has now raised a total of over £54,000 to help both charities continue working in their communities.
Co-organiser Scott Crowther from Pass The Smile was staggered by the success in 2022 – and hopes to go even further by extending collection areas into Rugby and Stratford.
He said: “We’ve been overwhelmed by the ongoing support of our volunteers, the sponsors and everyone who registered a tree for collection. Every year we think that we’ve reached a peak, but the help we get enables us to go even further. It’s incredibly humbling.”
Charlotte Ingram, Director of Income Generation at The Myton Hospices, said: “We are delighted to be working with Pass The Smile and Just Helping again this year.
“The growth of the collection each year has been fantastic, and we are looking forward to collecting and recycling even more trees this year.
“We would like to say a huge thank you to everyone who makes the collections possible and to all those who support by making a donation.”
Collected trees are shredded and used as pathways at Russells Garden Centre in Baginton. Organisers are also aiming to send a quantity of trees to aid production of biomass for fuel.
Visit https://form.jotform.com/220080212168342 or email [email protected] to volunteer to post leaflets promoting the scheme.
After costs, 51 per cent of money raised will go to Myton Hospices, and 49 per cent to Pass the Smile, a named research fund at the Childhood Cancer and Leukaemia Group.
Visit www.just-helping.org.uk/register-tree to book a tree collection.
Visit www.facebook.com/covxmastrees, www.twitter.com/covxmastrees and www.instagram/covxmastrees for more information and updates.
