Charity raises £14,000 by Christmas tree recycling

More than 850 Christmas trees were collected for recycling

A charity said it raised a record £14,000 through the donation of Christmas trees this year.

Supporters of Katharine House Hospice, Stafford, were asked to register their old trees for collection, making a donation via the charity's website.

More than 850 trees were picked up on the charity's behalf by a waste company, before being taken to a recycling site.

They have been turned into compost, as well as chippings to be used in energy production.

Beth Batham said making a donation to have her Christmas tree collected was helping a great cause.

Business manager for Veolia, Graeme Smith, organised the route for the vehicles as part of the company's garden waste collection - normally quiet at this time of year.

“We’ve been doing it now for about seven years. It started off very small – probably about 150 trees. Now we’re collecting over 850," he said.

Beth Batham joined hundreds of others in handing over her tree to the Veolia team.

“Cancer doesn’t discriminate so whatever we can do, collectively or individually, to help this great cause then all the better,” she said.

Lyndsey Howard, fundraising co-ordinator for Katharine House Hospice, thanked Veolia and said using the company "keeps our costs to a bare minimum which means all of the money that’s donated can go directly to the hospice to keep providing that free care in our community".

The Christmas trees were shredded at a recycling site near Eccleshall

That gratitude extended to Mill Farm Recycling, which repurpose the old trees free of charge.

Rob Ainsworth, part owner, said "woody fractions" would "be chipped down again and go into a power station for energy".

“Everything’s being reused. It’s all recycled. It’s a plus-plus situation. Everybody gains,” he said.