Community shows they care by raising £134,000 for the Charity

• 20 January 2023

The fantastic amount of £134,000 was confirmed following the record success of last week’s Christmas Tree Recycling Scheme, which took place between 12-14 January.

Some 3,500 real Christmas trees were collected from households in Cambridgeshire in return for a donation, raising a staggering £62,000 – exceeding last year’s tally of 3,000 trees and £58,000.

Around 260 volunteers from communities and businesses across the county generously lent their time, employees and often vehicles to take the trees to drop off points where they were chipped.

Head of Fundraising, Jodie Vaughan, said:

“A big thank you to everyone for pulling together for Arthur Rank Hospice Charity this Christmas. Whether you were part of the popular Christmas Tree Recycling Scheme, donated, raised sponsorship, organised your own fundraiser or gave your valuable time – we could not do what we do without you.

“You have all made a difference to people living with a life-limiting illness and those needing end of life care. I am really looking forward to seeing what else we can achieve together with our communities in 2023!”

The Christmas Tree Recycling Scheme was organised in partnership with Just Helping, and sponsored by Cooke, Curtis & Co (Trumpington) and Cyber Business Growth (Royston).

Other seasonal fundraisers included:

Light up a Life – People who donated to the annual Light up a Life appeal in memory of a loved one, raised £40,000 in total.  Two special Light up a Life events which took place in Cambridge and Wisbech in December were attended by around 400 people, providing a poignant opportunity to come together in remembrance, reflection and hope.

Rudolph Run – In November and December, sponsored Rudolph Runs took place in nine schools. There were smiles all round when pupils donning antlers dashed around their playground, raising a combined total of almost £9,000. The Charity’s mascot Arthur Bear was on hand to encourage children to have confident conversations with their families about hospice care.

Community Fundraiser Sarah Clayton said:

“Thank you so much to everyone who made their Rudolph Run a success. It was an honour to talk to children about hospice care and hear the difference Arthur Rank Hospice Charity has made to their families.”

In November, a Festive Run inspired around 70 people to run 5k in fancy dress, raising £7,000 in sponsorship.

A Winter Raffle drawn on 14 December, raised an enormous £17,033, creating 15 lucky winners from 11,044 entries.

We would like to say a BIG thank you to everyone who continues to support our fundraising activities which allows us to support people in Cambridgeshire living with an advanced serious illness or other life-limiting condition.

To find out more about ways to support Arthur Rank Hospice Charity please visit arhc.org.uk or contact their friendly Fundraising Team on fundraising@arhc.org.uk or call 01223 675888