MORE than £61,000 has been raised for a Worcester-based hospice by a record-breaking campaign which saw thousands of Christmas trees collected and recycled across the county.
Over two weekends in January, 197 people volunteering for the St Richard’s Hospice Christmas Tree Campaign collected and recycled 2,731 real trees from properties across Worcestershire.
The campaign raised £61,890 for St Richard’s – the most it has raised for the hospice in the nine years the campaign has been running.
Ria Simons, who is the hospice’s corporate fundraising lead and who manages the campaign, said: “We are truly overwhelmed by the generosity of our community this year.
“Thank you to everyone who donated, and thank you to the amazing people who collected and recycled trees in challenging weather – including freezing temperatures.
“This year, it will cost in the region of £12 million to run the hospice – and the majority of these funds are raised by voluntary donations, gifts in wills, retail, events, and campaigns like this one.
“We cannot stress enough how grateful we are to everyone who has played a part in this year’s tree collection. Thank you for helping us continue to be there for patients and those important to them.”
The campaign was supported by Aptean, which creates route maps to guide volunteers during tree collections, St Peters Garden Centre, and Leigh Sinton Christmas Trees.
