Local businesses come together to support hospice

This year, local business leader Logan Khan, has played an important role in securing sponsorship for all vans required for the initiative, saving St Giles Hospice the rental cost for these vans. These savings will enable the hospice to direct even more funds toward providing vital care for local people living with a terminal illness. 

This will be the ninth year that St Giles has been running TreeCycle to raise vital funds to support its care. Teams of volunteers will collect trees from around Lichfield, Walsall, Rugeley, Burntwood, Stafford and surrounding areas, between Friday, 10 January and Monday, 13 January. The suggested donation for trees up to 8ft is £15 and £20 for trees up to 10ft.

Sam Colclough, Community and Events Officer at St Giles Hospice, said: "Our TreeCycle relies on the dedication of our volunteers and the generosity of our community.

“Last year, volunteers helped us to collect 3,833 Christmas trees, raising over £67,000 to help fund care for local people, and their loved ones, living with a terminal illness. This year we’re hoping that even more people will sign up to have their real Christmas tree collected and recycled to make this our most successful TreeCycle yet!” 

Until this year, St Giles had to hire vans for Treecycle. Logan Khan, a long-time supporter of the hospice, saw an opportunity to help. Logan explained: "I put out a call on social media asking for sponsors, and within two hours, all 15 vans were covered by my clients and network, including two that I personally sponsored." This cost-saving effort ensures more funds raised through Treecycle can directly support patients living with terminal illness at St Giles Hospice. 

Logan’s connection to the hospice is deeply personal. In 2019, his mother spent her final 12 weeks at St Giles, a time that left a lasting impression on Logan and his family. He shared: "If you had to have your last days anywhere in the world, I can't think of anywhere better than St Giles Hospice,"  

"Their care and love inspired me to do everything I can to support them." 

Chloe Hope, Head of Fundraising at St Giles Hospice, said: “We’d like to thank Logan for supporting TreeCycle this year, as well as other businesses supporting the initiative – we simply couldn’t run our TreeCycle without the generous support of our community.”  

With increasing financial challenges across the hospice sector, and only 18% of St Giles Hospice’s funding coming from the Government, the generosity of the local community is more vital than ever. St Giles Hospice relies on these donations to continue providing vital care for local people, and their loved ones, living with a terminal illness.   

TreeCycle collections must be booked by 10am on Tuesday, 7 January.  All trees collected will be chipped and recycled at Greener Composting in Lichfield, where they will be transformed into compost for agricultural use. By participating in TreeCycle, donors not only contribute to environmental sustainability but also directly support the hospice’s vital care services. For more information about Treecycle, including all post code areas covered, and how to register your tree for collection, visit: stgileshospice.com/treecycle.