As the festive season draws to a close, residents across East Anglia have a unique opportunity to extend their goodwill by transforming discarded Christmas trees into a vital lifeline for local children and families. The popular tree recycling scheme, run by East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices (EACH), is back and aims to surpass last year's record-breaking total of £43,983.
How The Tree Recycling Service Works
Registration for the hassle-free service is now open. Homeowners simply need to sign up, and an army of dedicated EACH volunteers will collect the tree directly from their property. The trees are then responsibly recycled, ensuring no waste. In exchange for this convenient service, residents are asked to make a donation to the charity.
Tina Burdett, EACH’s Community Fundraising Manager, emphasised the profound impact of this initiative. "The season of goodwill doesn’t have to end when the decorations come down," she said. "By signing up you’re not just helping the environment - you’re helping children and families across our community. Every penny raised will help fund our specialist care and support."
Expanding Reach and Building on Success
The project has seen phenomenal growth, with the most recent January total smashing the 2024 figure of £29,000, which itself was a 17 per cent increase on the 2023 total. To build on this momentum, the service is expanding its reach this year.
The volunteer teams will be collecting from even more addresses across Cambridgeshire, Norfolk, Suffolk, and now Essex. The Suffolk project, run in partnership with St Elizabeth Hospice, has expanded to include the Essex postcodes of CO11 and CO12.
How You Can Get Involved
This environmentally-friendly initiative is run in partnership with Just Helping. The key collection dates are January 8 and 9, and registration closes on January 4.
Residents can check if their area is covered and register their tree via the official website: https://just-helping.org.uk/register-tree/.
Tina also issued a call for support from the wider community. "We’re looking for any corporate or community volunteers who might be willing to help," she said. "Anyone who can spare even half a day can make a real difference." Furthermore, the charity is seeking organisations or individuals who could use large quantities of free woodchippings produced from the recycled trees.
For more information, to volunteer, or to enquire about the woodchippings, you can contact EACH directly at community@each.org.uk.
