A Christmas tree recycling scheme has reached a £100,000 fundraising landmark in its 11th year.

Run by Hospice Isle of Man, nearly 900 trees were collected this year through the service over the weekend of January 11 and January 12, with more than £15,400 raised for the charity and 11,460kg of trees shredded and recycled.

The ‘Christmas Tree Recycling Service’ is a partnership between Hospice, the Isle of Man Post Office, Tel’s Skips and Ballaneven Compost and Horticulture.

In exchange for a donation, the real Christmas trees are collected in Post Office vans by volunteers, taken to Tel’s where they are shredded, before ending up at Ballaneven to be turned into compost.

Some of this compost is then donated back to Hospice to be used in its gardens.

Vanessa Smith, head of income generation at Hospice, said: ‘The £100,000 raised in total through the scheme goes to show just how valuable this service is that we provide to the island.

‘We cannot thank our partners and volunteers enough for giving up their own time to support us with this initiative. Without them, we simply couldn’t do it.

‘All of the money raised through the service goes towards supporting the work of everyone here at Hospice, helping our patients and their loved ones when they need it most.

‘Hospice Isle of Man would like to thank everyone who has supported their service this year, and looks forward to watching the service grow even further.’

Lisa Duckworth, chief operating officer of Isle of Man Post Office, added: ‘We are incredibly proud to participate in this fantastic fundraising event, which unites numerous local businesses in support of Hospice Isle of Man.

‘We would like to extend our gratitude to everyone involved for their ongoing support.’