A local initiative recycling old Christmas trees has raised £12,500 for a specialist hospice.

Weldmar Hospicecare’s Christmas Treecycle fundraiser invited the local community to book for their old Christmas tree to be collected in return for a £10 donation to the charity.

More than 1,250 real Christmas trees across Dorset were collected to be chipped and turned into renewable biomass fuel.

The money raised will go towards supporting the specialist end of life care that Weldmar Hospicecare provides to adults with a life limiting illness.

This year’s sum, in addition to £3,000 from Gift Aid, means that 14 patients can receive support from a Weldmar Community Nurse.

The initiative works in partnership with the team at Trinity Street Christmas Trees, who coordinate the collections and logistics, help to recruit volunteers, and arrange for the trees to be recycled.

Dorset Echo: Volunteers for Weldmar Hospicecare’s Treecycle fundraiser

Fiona Hansford, Weldmar Fundraising Lead said: “This year Treecycle has continued to grow and yet again we have collected more trees and raised more money than ever before - over £65,000 in total since the initiative began."

Tamzin Hyde from Trinity Street Christmas Trees added: “It’s been a pleasure working with Weldmar on Treecycle again this year, there is a lot of work that goes into coordinating the collections, but it is all worth it to know the difference we will be making for both the charity and our local community.

“It has also been lovely to meet and work with all the amazing volunteers who have helped us with the collections, some of them having helped in multiple years, it is really a great team effort and they all came back with a smile on their face.”

More information about Weldmare Hospicecare can be found on their website: https://www.weldmarhospicecare.org/