Volunteers, local businesses and supporters have helped raise more than £17,000 for Julia’s House children’s hospice by collecting a record number of Christmas trees.
Hundreds of people living in Dorset had their real trees collected and recycled from their doorstep in return for donations.
The Julia’s House fundraising team was supported by volunteers from local businesses.
They included ECO Sustainable Solutions and The Fencing Centre which sponsored the promotion of this year’s Christmas tree collection in Dorset.
The trees were taken to Adventure Pirate in Lytchett Minster and ECO Sustainable Solutions in Christchurch for recycling as chippings and mulch for use on local farmland and community spaces.
Julia’s House collected 1,463 trees in Dorset and a further 627 Christmas trees in Wiltshire, raising £17,229 in total donations.
The figure was a big increase on last year’s collection of 404 trees in Dorset and 230 trees in Wiltshire.
Charlie Squires, from the Julia’s House Fundraising Team, said: “We’ve been blown away by the response we’ve had to our tree collection – it’s been brilliant to see bookings more than triple in Dorset.
“We’d like to say a jolly big thank you to everyone who helped make this year’s event a fundraising success, from our dedicated team of helpers to the local people who made donations for their tree collection.
“We’re thrilled to have raised these vital funds to support our care for local families and we hope to make our tree collection even bigger and better next year.”
Julia’s House is Dorset’s children’s hospice charity.
The charity relies almost entirely on donations from the local community to fund its critical respite breaks and compassionate care for Dorset’s most seriously ill children and their families – in the Julia’s House hospice in Corfe Mullen and in families’ homes.