Third year partnership sees University of Exeter and Hospiscare collect over 4,500 Christmas trees for charity

From left to right: Jo Tucker, Olivia Forsey, Caroline Gee and Jake Cawthorne at Hospiscare

(PRESS RELEASE) EXETER, 19-Jan-2023 — /EuropaWire/ — University of Exeter, a public research university in Exeter, Devon, South West England, United Kingdom, announces that for the third year in a row, the University and Hospiscare have partnered up to recycle Christmas trees and support terminally ill patients and their families. On January 13th and 14th, Hospiscare’s vans collected trees from households across Exeter and the surrounding areas, in exchange for a £10 donation.

The collected trees were then taken to the University’s Streatham Campus where they were chipped by the Grounds Team. The chippings have been used as mulch for the university’s shrub beds. The partnership has collected over 4,500 trees and raised over £55,000 for the charity since it began.

Laura Robertson, Fundraising Projects Manager at Hospiscare said, “This year we had an amazing 85 volunteers helping us to collect more than 2,000 real Christmas trees across Exeter and East and Mid Devon, which raised over £24,000 for Hospiscare.”

“This initiative simply wouldn’t be possible without the generous support from our local community and organisations like the University of Exeter donating their time and invaluable services. The money raised from our tree collection campaign will help us support more local patients and families living with terminal illness, who need us now more than ever.”

David Evans, Grounds and Sports Operations Manager at the University of Exeter added, “The University Grounds Team feel privileged to support Hospiscare once again through the Christmas tree recycling scheme. It’s been a fantastic effort by all involved and we’re proud to be able to provide for our community in Devon, at a time when it is needed most.”

The Christmas tree recycling scheme is just one of the ways Hospiscare is raising money to support local patients and families living with terminal illness. To find out more about Hospiscare and the Christmas tree recycling scheme, visit https://www.hospiscare.co.uk/events/christmas-tree-recycling/

Media contact:
pressoffice@exeter.ac.uk

SOURCE: University of Exeter