A scheme to turn old Christmas trees into cash has been hailed a success by a Wiltshire Hospice after they teamed up with Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) to raise funds.
At the beginning of January, colleagues from SSEN's Melksham depot used their Be the Difference days to help Dorothy House Hospice Care gather real trees from homes and businesses across Bradford on Avon, Trowbridge, Westbury, Corsham, Bath and Frome. Using vehicles and chippers that had been provided by SSEN, the teams chipped and shredded the old trees to provide reusable materials for the local community.
It's the first year that the hospice has run the scheme and, with such a great result, they intend to roll it out again next year.
Steph Cox, community fundraiser for Dorothy House Hospice Care said: "In addition to thanking all of the local residents and businesses who signed up to the scheme and helped us raise this incredible sum, I'd like to thank SSEN for all of their help."
"They helped with collecting trees, unloading them and then chipping them. They even used blowers to clear all the pine needles from people's vehicles, as well as the roads and land near the areas they were carrying out the chipping."
"My team were so impressed and we're really looking forward to doing it all again next year."
Since the launch of SSE's 'Be the Difference' volunteering programme, it has helped over 2,500 projects, with SSEN employees dedicating their time to projects that matter in the communities where they live and work.