TREE-MENDOUS fundraisers helped raise more than £23,000 for St Helena Hospice by recycling their Christmas trees.

It was a record-breaking year for the hospice’s Tree-cycle scheme, with more than 2,000 trees being collected across the borough raising a massive £23,645 in donations.

Thanks to a dedicated team of volunteers and with support from Colchester Council and the Tree and Lawn Company, the Tree-cycle scheme raised enough to pay for nurses at the hospice for more than a week.

Sarah Wilson, fundraising manager at St Helena Hospice, said: “We are blown away by the support we’ve received from the community once again, to have reached such an incredible total really is wonderful.

“We would like to thank all of our supporters who have donated as part of the Christmas Tree-cycle and all of our volunteers who gave up their Saturday to help collect such a huge number of trees.

“We would also like to thank Colchester Council along with our sponsors Tree and Lawn Company for their support and to the other companies which loaned us their vans for the day.

“St Helena Hospice will use all the money raised to help north Essex people face incurable illness and bereavement.”

Registration for the scheme’s return on January 9, 2021, will open later this year. Visit sthelena.org.uk.