A total of £1,800 was raised for a Bury St Edmunds-based hospice charity through a Christmas tree collection service.

St Nicholas Hospice Care’s house clearance team picked up around 300 trees from homes in and around the Bury St Edmunds area, with people making a donation for the service to save them a trip to the tip.

Darren Devine, the hospice’s house clearance and retail support manager, said: “We are all so pleased with how well this year’s Christmas tree collection service has gone.

“Last year we ran the scheme for the first time and managed to raise £900, to have raised £1,800 this year really is fantastic.

“The great thing about this service is that people have been able to support the hospice and had the hassle of what to do with their Christmas tree after the festive season taken away.”

All the trees which were collected – the biggest being 20ft – were taken to Culford Waste, where thanks to the firm’s generosity they were recycled at no charge to the hospice.

Darren added: ““We are so grateful to Culford Waste for once again agreeing to support this service. There support means that all the funds raised from this initiative will help the charity continue to care for people we help across the community.”