Hundreds of trees raise thousands of pounds for local hospices

Chestnut Tree House and St Barnabas House in West Sussex were delighted to collaborate on a Christmas tree collection service with Biffa, who provide recycling collection and street cleansing services for residents of Arun district. This initiative saw over 400 trees collected from homes in Littlehampton and Arundel, raising an impressive £3,520 for the local hospices.

Biffa has raised money for the hospices previously and supported Christmas tree recycling schemes but decided to run its own this year. Kevin Eason, Garden Waste Supervisor and Marie Pattenden, Process Quality & Information Manager, were eager to bring the idea to life: Marie said “We wanted to help our local children and adult hospices while providing a useful service for our community. So many Christmas trees get dumped in inappropriate places, and we wanted to do our part and support these important charities too. It’s a win-win.”

“I must say a huge thank you to The Woodhorn Group for kindly allowing us to take all of the collected trees to them for disposal and recycling.”

Residents booked their Christmas tree removal via the hospice websites and there was a suggested minimum donation of £5 per tree. Despite January being a typically difficult month financially, most people were exceptionally generous and donated much more. Biffa offered their services for free meaning 100% of the money went straight to the hospices.

The cost of providing all of Chestnut Tree House’s care services is almost £6 million a year, with only 21% of this coming from government funding. Similarly, the cost of providing all care services at St Barnabas House is over £10 million a year, with only 22% of this coming from government funding.

Support from the local community and businesses is vital in providing these invaluable services year-round. Stephanie Burns, Head of Corporate Engagement at the hospices, emphasised the importance of this support: “We are so grateful to the incredible team at Biffa for organising all of this. Collecting over 400 trees is remarkable, and the amount they have helped us raise is nothing short of amazing. This local support and the community spirit ensures we can continue caring for the children, adults, and families that need us.”

There are plenty of ways to support St Barnabas House, from running a marathon to volunteering or becoming a corporate partner, there are plenty of ways to support vital hospice care in the local community.