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I have for a while now been thinking about how we could run a scheme to collect people’s Christmas Trees in the New Year, use the wood chip in our kiln boilers to dry our firewood and raise money for charity at the same time.

It seems I wasn’t the only one, but it takes people like those from the Round Table to really make things happen. Will Jackson, our Procurement and Operations Manager, who is a past chair and extremely active member of the Round Table proposed the idea and between us, we are now going to make it happen.

How does it work?

Firstly, this is our first year, so bear with us as we are not sure how big the demand will be, but we are going to collect from locations in Hereford and plan to cover a 6 mile radius of the city centre. Just visit the Round Table Christmas Tree Collection page and put in your postcode to check that you are within the collection area. Then just simply book your collection and we will do the rest.

Christmas Trees

What dates are the collections?

This year we are doing collection on two days – Saturday 7th and Sunday 8th January 2023, so hopefully you will have taken your tree down by then. Don’t forget it’s apparently bad luck to have your tree up after the 12th day after Christmas (Jan 6th!!)

Isn’t £15 quite a lot to pay?

It might seem a lot to pay in these times of a cost-of-living crisis, but please consider the following:

  • Charity - Every penny is going to local charities – 50% to the amazing St Michael’s Hospice and the rest to the Round Table’s Community Grants Scheme.
  • The environment – Allowing us to collect means you don’t have to drive to your local recycling centre so saving on fuel and CO2 emissions. Running a central collection service makes it far more efficient..
  • Sharing the love! – There will be lots of people volunteering to help with the collection and doing their bit for charity – Your donation is hugely appreciated and just think of all the benefits that we can bring to those in need.
  • Free prize draw entry – Certainly Wood is running a prize draw for every single person that books a tree collection. You could win £200 worth of kiln dried logs, and KindleFlamers

What happens to the trees?

Due to the generosity of local tree surgeon George Burgess and Woodcut Tree Surgery, trees will be collected and then put through a chipper to make wood-chip. Every single tree is put to good use for a second time – providing wood-chip fuel for the Certainly Wood boilers which heat the kilns, to dry the kiln dried logs

Is it only real trees being collected?

Yes, absolutely NO artifical trees and please don’t expect anything else to be collected and put through the chipper and we are ONLY TAKING fresh cut Christmas trees.

What else does Certainly Wood do for local causes?

Our aim is not only to be as eco-friendly as possible with all aspects of our production and doing our best to get as close to carbon neutrality as possible over the coming years, but we also like to work with local charities and communities where possible. Presently our main local charity we are sponsoring is the incredible Cart Shed near Weobley. They focus on supporting those with mental health issues as well as those who experience poor physical health and learning disabilities. We also provide support to some local schools, but in particular Madley Primary School which is just two miles away.

So, please help us to help you by booking a Christmas Tree collection today.

N.Snell

19th Dec 2022