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From Friday 13 January 2023, and for a busy few days afterwards, a highly motivated band of Wirral Hospice St John’s staff, volunteers and supporters, will re-assemble at the hospice, ready to drive, or co-pilot, around thirty large vans around Wirral picking up used real Christmas trees from outside people’s homes and businesses.
One person takes the wheel to navigate a pre-planned postcode route, while one or two crew members will pick up the tree from each address and load it onto the back of the van.
The hospice tree collection makes a significant contribution to funding the hospice’s specialist care and support services.
People make their donations relating to the size of their tree, £8.71 under 5ft, £9.42 – £21.53 for between 5ft and 8ft, and £24.84 over 8ft, and then they simply leave their used pine/fir/spruce tree in an accessible spot outside their house, or business, and soon their tree ‘magically’ disappears.
The decimal donation amounts are suggested and reflect some of the hospice running costs; £8.71 = one minute running costs of our hospice £9.42 = food for one patient for a day £15.38 = one hour of specialist palliative nursing care £21.53 = a physiotherapy session for a patient £24.84 = a bereavement session with a family member £30.76 = a two-hour hospice at home support visit.
Once each van is fully loaded with trees, it is driven to various pre-arranged temporary ‘drop-sites’ around Wirral to offload for chipping, then it’s back on the road heading out for the next load.
The chipped trees have further recycled uses, maybe in biofuel or even spread around at community farms and paddocks.
Other small local charities also receive around ten per cent of the monies raised.
All the people who give their valuable time are well fed and watered while fuel costs are offered to everyone who volunteers the use of their van(s).
Bookings are open now until 11.59pm on Sunday 8 January, for people or organisations to secure the hassle-free collection of their REAL Christmas trees.
Postcodes covered by Wirral Hospice St John’s tree collection include, CH41, CH42, CH43, CH44, CH45, CH46, CH47, CH48, CH49, CH60, CH61, CH62, CH63, CH64.
Elaine Connell, Wirral Hospice St John’s fundraising officer, said, “We’ve got our fingers crossed for another bumper year of Christmas tree collections, the generous donations make a huge difference to the lives of so many people with life-limiting illnesses in our Wirral community.
“A small army of people give up their valuable time, and also the use of their vans, year after year, to help with the used Christmas tree collections. It’s always a lot of fun for our hardy volunteers and we are so grateful to them and everyone who books a collection with us.
“We’re also so very, very, thankful to all those brilliant companies and organisations who lend a hand, equipment or space”
To register a tree for collection people can book online at www.wirralhospice.org/treecollection or call 0151 343 0778
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