Warwickshire charity Christmas tree collection helps raise nearly £50k for good causes

A charity Christmas tree collection across Coventry and Warwickshire has helped raise nearly £50,000 for good causes.

The fifth Coventry and Warwickshire’s annual Charity Christmas Tree Collection took place over the weekend of January 12 to 14, where real trees were collected for a donation.

The organisers say they have been staggered by the generosity of donors and volunteers, with the 2024 collection raising £48,840 to be split between The Myton Hospices and Pass The Smile.

In total, 3,149 trees were collected by 200 volunteers in 65 vans and then taken to Russells Garden Centre where the trees are shredded.

This year’s plan includes producing biomass pellets from the shredded trees, to create an ecologically sound fuel source.

Organisers said that businesses supporting the initiative also grew this year and included; Coventry Building Society, Jaguar Land Rover; Biffa, KBTS, RSS Infrastructure, Panic Transport, Cotswold Trees, Smiths Garden Centre, Amazon, and more.

The total donations collected across the five years of the campaign is now close to £150,000.

Scott Crowther from Pass The Smile, who leads the initiative, was overjoyed by the achievement.

He said: “To have raised so much money in five years is beyond our wildest expectations.

“We receive so much support from our communities, we are beyond grateful for the effort that people continue to put in to help our charities.”

Charlotte Ingram, director of income generation at The Myton Hospices, said: “We are overwhelmed by the amount raised this year from the Charity Christmas Tree Collection, and in total over the last five years.

"On behalf of everyone at Myton I want to say a big thank you to the organisers, volunteers, businesses and supporters who have contributed to making the collections such a success and to everyone who has donated.

"The money raised will make a real difference for our patients and their families across Coventry and Warwickshire. We can’t wait to see what 2025 brings.”

For those who are looking to commit to helping in December 2024 and January 2025, they can register interest at: https://form.jotform.com/240095287340354