How your old Christmas tree can give Sheffield Children's Hospital a festive boost

Mitchel Ingham and Joel Berry of JM Ground Care in Stannington have this year taken over the project from Andrew Powell, who has managed it for the last five years.

In that time he has raised more than £40,000 for the Children's Hospital Charity, collecting 1,700 trees last year alone, a 30 per cent increase on the previous year.

However, after the sheer number of trees he was getting became a bit too much for him to deal with, Mitchell and Joel stepped in to offer their services.

'Disposing of your tree after Christmas is something everyone struggles with,' said Mitchell, aged 27.

'Your tree is all tidy when you bring it home in its net but when you take it away in the car all the needles are falling off it.

'So it is a great way to get rid of your old Christmas tree and a great charity to do it for.'

Mitchel and Joel are taking bookings now and will collect direct from your home between January 6 and 14.

They say they already have 120 bookings and recently received more than a hundred messages in just one night.

Cheryl Davidson, community fundraising manager at The Children's Hospital Charity, said: 'We've been really grateful to have had Andrew's support over the past few years and thanks to his work and the generosity of the public, an incredible amount has been raised for Sheffield Children's Hospital.

'Now Mitchel and Joel have kindly offered to take up the mantle this year and continue this festive fundraising tradition. Supporting the effort this year will help make a huge difference to the lives of young patients from across the UK and around the world who rely on the specialist care at our wonderful hospital'.

Their predecessor, Andy Powell, said: 'After many years of hard work, Michelle, William and I have handed the gauntlet to someone else.

'We have now moved out of the area and can't do it logistically. We are proud of our achievements and the events we ran, which raised a total of £47,000, but it's time to let others take the reins.

The service costs £10 per tree with payment made via Paypal or bank transfer.

The only money the pair take out of the scheme will be for fuel and the costs of the banners they have made to advertise the service.

To book your collection, email [email protected] or search for '˜Christmas tree collection for Sheffield Children's Hospital' on Facebook.