RANKS of lorries, vans and trucks set off across Somerset helped raise £32,000 as they collected Christmas trees in return for donations to St Margaret’s Hospice over January 11 and 12.

Braving winter’s chill, 150 volunteers set out to collect an astounding 2,065 trees.

Sponsored by Buses of Somerset, this year’s Christmas Tree collection marked the first major fundraising event in the charity’s 45th year of providing free hospice care in Somerset.

The £32,000 raised this year made it the most successful collection yet in supporting hospice care across Somerset.

The volunteers collectively spent more than 1,000 hours hauling thousands of Christmas trees to drop-off stations across Somerset. After local tree surgeons chipped them into mulch. The chippings were given to local farms, allotments, and the hospice gardens themselves to be used for pathways and as eco-friendly mulch.

A spokesperson for Gibbins Richards, one of the charity’s returning volunteers, said: “We love helping with this every January and the total money raised keeps increasing year on year!! Well done everyone.”

Kerry Baillie, community partnerships manager at St Margaret’s Hospice, expressed her gratitude for this year’s event. She said: “Working with Just Helping and Children’s Hospice Southwest, we are incredibly thankful to our dedicated volunteers to help us collect over 2,000 trees.

“Across Somerset, with smiles on their faces. Their commitment is truly inspiring, and we’re so grateful for their support. This year was our biggest collection yet, raising over £32,000 to help us continue providing care across the county. A special thank you to our headline sponsors, Buses of Somerset, for their continued support. We’re already looking forward to next year’s collection—stay tuned for updates.”

Those looking to get involved in future activities from the hospice can visit their website for more details.