Tree-mendous total for Hospice recycling

Wednesday 15 January 2020

Almost 2,300 trees, £36,000 in donations and two days of care paid for at Jersey Hospice - this year's Christmas tree recycling scheme is being described as "record breaking."

It took 49 volunteers, and a fleet of vans, to collect the trees over four days earlier this month, and then take them to the green waste recycling facility at La Collette, where they were turned into soil improver.

The scheme was supported by Mitchell Building Contractors, Webreality and Jersey Post, and is being described by the organisers as the most successful to date; it's the fourteenth year that it has been running, raising more than £335,000 in total.

It costs £18,600 a day to provide all the services at Hospice, and in the community.

Harvey Mitchell, Chief Executive Officer of Mitchell Building Contractors Ltd, said, "We were so proud to have been a part of this brilliant initiative and want to support our community on the Island. The Christmas tree collection offers a positive environmental impact whilst also allowing us to support the life-changing work that Jersey Hospice Care provides. It was an honour to be a part of the scheme."

Pictured: a team of volunteers spent four days earlier this month collecting the trees. 

Steve Hunt, Trustee and Chairman of Fundraising at Jersey Hospice Care, said, “By collecting Christmas trees we support Islanders and businesses in caring for the environment and at the same time raise vital funds for Jersey Hospice Care that enables us to care for patients who have been diagnosed with a life limiting condition. I was pleased to have joined the 49 volunteers by collecting trees and wish to express my thanks to our sponsor Mitchell Building Contractors, the companies who provided large vehicles as well as those who provided food and refreshments, the volunteers who gave up their time, and the public who registered and generously donated.”