It has been another TREEmendous start to the year for Worcestershire-based charity the Grace Kelly Childhood Cancer Trust following their fifth Treecycle Campaign this January. The annual fundraiser helps the children’s charity fund their much-needed work to ensure that no family faces childhood cancer alone and that one day, no child will lose their life to cancer.
This year, the Trust received a total of 658 bookings for unwanted Christmas trees around Worcestershire and Herefordshire to be collected from driveways, hedge lines and front gardens. Residents donated a chosen fee for their tree to be collected by a community of volunteers between the 9th and 12th January.
Once again, the campaign was supported by an array of local businesses that helped with the collections and chipping process. Including: Matcon, SME Solicitors, Hills Estate Agents, Elgar Kitchens, Greencable, Lucart Hygiene, The Marquee Company of Worcestershire, MJ Carpentry, Vietec, Dormer Plant Hire, Albany Studio, West Midlands Safari Park, Chessgrove Woodchip and Worcestershire Federation of Young Farmers.
We are incredibly thankful for the unwavering support from all our corporate and community volunteers who played a pivotal role in our fifth annual Christmas Treecycling Campaign . Whether you collected Christmas trees, provided a tree chipping location or distributed flyers on our behalf, your efforts have truly made this year’s Treecycle the best one yet!
Abbie Bissell-Blazier, Charity Fundraiser
The Hereford and Powys tree collections were coordinated by Emma Cleal of Be More Frank, a named fund of the Trust that works to raise funds towards the financial grants that are paid to young families across the three counties upon receiving a diagnosis of childhood cancer.
We’re so delighted to have extended the reach for Treecycle 2025. It’s our third consecutive year and £2k was raised for Be More Frank which is just amazing from a group of people who are prepared to give their time and effort to help. We really are so delighted! The biggest thanks to everybody who booked with us, and every single volunteer… treecycling is not a glamorous job but you were all so cheery and positive!
Emma Cleal, Be More Frank
The local businesses that supported the campaign in Hereford included: Festive Forestry, Old Railway Line Garden Centre, Burford House Garden Centre, OTM Groundworks, SES Electrical, OTM Groundcare, All Seasons Mover, RMJ Hones, Climbing Hands and Landtech.
Treecycle 2025 has raised just over £12,000, and as a charity that receives no statutory funding, this financial gain will make such a difference to the lives of oncology children and their families.
On behalf of Team Ladybird, I would like to thank everyone who registered their Christmas Tree for collection this year. The success of our Treecyling mission would not be possible without your generous contributions.
Abbie Bissell-Blazier, Charity Fundraiser
Feedback from one resident included:
“My trees have been collected this morning. I want to thank all involved in this process – it makes disposing of the tree so easy. I am grateful to you for supplying this service and am happy to support such a good cause. I will look out for your email later in the year so I can book a collection for the 2025 tree!”
The Trust will be hosting the campaign again next year and is encouraging supporters to sign up to their newsletter so they receive updates on Treecycle 2026!
Subscribe to their newsletter here: https://www.gkcct.org/about-us/contact-us/sign-up-to-our-newsletter/
Supporters can also follow Grace Kelly Childhood Cancer Trust on all social media platforms for the latest updates or to express an interest in volunteering next year as an individual or business.
For more information, please contact:
Sophie Blount, Communications Officer, Grace Kelly Childhood Cancer Trust, sophieblount@gkcct.org
