A CHARITY has raised £12,000 after collecting Christmas trees across the district.

Farleigh Hospice festive tree recycling campaign has been running for three years and saw 1,400 trees collected around Maldon, Burnham and Chelmsford between January 7 and 9.

The team collected trees in return for a donation, and the £12,000 fundraising total is over double what the campaign raised in 2016.

After being collected in vans donated by the local community, the trees were taken to Heybridge Swifts FC training ground and chipped by Maldon District Council, and to St Mary’s Church where they were chipped by staff from The Limes farm shop.

Most of the chippings will now be used in parks cared for by Chelmsford City Council.

Fundraising Manager Debbie de Boltz said, “We are thrilled that so many of the community took part in our recycling scheme. The money raised will go towards caring for people with life-limiting illnesses, and the recycled trees help the environment, so it’s a win-win! We’d particularly like to thank all the local businesses and volunteers who gave up their weekend and put in a lot of hard work.”

If you’d like to know more about Farleigh’s services and fundraising events, visit www.farleighhospice.org.