£14,000 boost for Sheffield Children's Hospital thanks to Christmas tree collections

The amazing amount was donated by landscape gardeners Mitchel Ingham and Joel Berry, who raised it by collecting an astonishing 2,500 Christmas trees for the hospital’s dedicated charity.

Joel, who in his day job runs Berry’s Tree and Gardens, said he and Mitchel were proud to be able to donate such a significant amount of money to such a worthy cause.

He said: “I broke my left femur when I was younger and ended up having to have quite a lot of physio at the children’s hospital.

“They looked after me really well and it’s nice to be able to give something back.”

The pair were only in their second year of running the scheme, after taking it over from long-time collector Andrew Powell, who retired in 2017 after five years.

Joel said he and Mitchel, who runs JM Groundcare, said they particularly wanted to thank Arnold Clark, who supplied them with vans, and AW Media and Marketing, who designed the website for free.

He said: “We made a much better job of it this year. We learn from our mistakes and try to get better next time.

“Doubling it again might be a bit optimistic but I think 3,000 is a good target to aim at.”

The Children’s Hospital Charity is Sheffield Children’s Hospital’s dedicated charity and last year raised £3.1 million to improve facilities at the centre.

They are currently fundraising to build a new cancer and leukemia ward, a new emergency department and a new helipad for the hospital.

Lucy Rathbone, Regional Fundraiser at The Children’s Hospital Charity said: “We’re so thankful to Joel and Mitchel for all their hard work.

“With so many Christmas trees to collect from the local area in such a short space of time, the Christmas tree project takes a great deal of planning, coordination and effort.

“The total raised is almost twice as much as last year and will help transform the cancer and leukaemia ward at Sheffield Children’s Hospital for generations to come.”