Farleigh Hospice's collection and recycling service for real Christmas trees will be returning to doorsteps in Maldon in January.

Farleigh Hospice will be collecting real trees from outside homes in Maldon and other towns and vilages across mid Essex including Braintree, Burnham, Chelmsford, Coggeshall, Danbury, Dunmow, Kelvedon, Southminster, South Woodham Ferrers, Stock and Witham on 5, 6 and 7 January.

Trees must be registered before 4pm on Wednesday 3 January through the Farleigh Hospice website where you can also make a donation to the charity. 

The money raised will help Farleigh to continue providing much-needed care and support to local people affected by life-limiting illnesses and bereavement across mid-Essex.

Supported by Contour Landscapes in Writtle, Farleigh Hospice will be recycling the trees into wood chippings, which can then be used as biomass fuel or on pathways in local cemeteries and parks. 

Arboricultural Contracts Manager at Contour Landscapes, Jacob Oram, said: "The reason behind the tree team helping Farleigh with the Christmas trees is we all knew a great mechanic and a great man called Nick Mills that worked at our former work place. 

Contour Landscapes are offering their services to help turn local Christmas trees into wood chips (Photo Credit: Farleigh Hospice)

"He was such a kind gentle giant that would do anything to help anyone, to make their day easier. He unfortunately passed away, but Farleigh helped with his end of life care - so our former owner decided to help out with the trees and it has been tradition ever since. We haven't missed a year yet."

He added: "As we are in a new company now, it is something I am keen to support going forward into the future as it is such an important cause that Farleigh stands for." 

It is the eighth year that Farleigh Hospice has been providing this useful service. 101 volunteers took part in the last collection, using 60 vehicles. 

Farleigh Hospice's Fundraising Manager, Debbie de Boltz, said, "If you are the proud owner of a real Christmas tree, please sign up for our Christmas tree recycling service and we will make sure that it is put to good use. The trees we have collected since this service started have contributed over 120 tonnes of wood chippings for recycling, instead of going to waste. And the donations we receive help Farleigh Hospice to be there to support local people when they need us the most.  

"A huge thank you to Jacob and the team at Contour Landscapes and to all of our wonderful volunteers and the local companies, organisations and councils who kindly help to make Farleigh's tree recycling so successful." 

To find out more, register your real Christmas tree for recycling and make a donation, click here.

Farleigh Hospice provides support for people living with life-limiting illnesses or bereavement.

It relies on fundraising, donations and gifts left in wills to continue to provide its services. You can donate now by calling 01245 457408.

Recently, the local charity experienced a "shock" break-in at their Maldon clearance warehouse, in which the building was left damaged and with items stolen.