A local hospice charity will be making Christmas tree doorstep collections for households in Stoke-on-Trent and North Staffordshire. 

The initiative gives householders the opportunity to recycle their Christmas tree while supporting Douglas Macmillan's specialist care and support services. 

Last year, volunteers from the Blurton-based charity collected more than 1,684 trees from postcodes across the area which raised £31,437 for the hospice. 

The trees will be collected by volunteers before they are recycled and turned into compost by Brown Recycling Limited. 

The Christmas Treecycle is sponsored by Brown Recycling and delivered with support from N & J Tree Services Ltd and JustHelping.

Deborah Vickers, Head of Business and Events Fundraising at Dougie Mac, said: "Our Christmas Tree Cycle takes away the hassle and mess of disposing your tree. 

"We will collect it from your house and recycle it in an environmentally friendly way. 

"We can collect trees from homes, businesses, schools and churches in the relevant postcode areas. All you need to do is register your tree and make a donation on our website. 

"Then simply leave your tree outside your registered address on the weekend of January 9-12 and we'll take it away. 

"In exchange for collecting your tree, we just ask for a donation to support our specialist care services, enabling us to be there for more children, young adults and adults, as well as their families, when they need us. 

"For example a donation of £20 could pay for pain relief medication for patients at a time when they most need it. So you really are making a difference." 

Households from the following postcodes can register for the tree collection: ST1, ST2, ST3, ST4, ST5, ST6, ST7, ST8, ST9, ST10, ST11, ST12, ST13, TF9 and CW3 

Those registered before 11.59pm on Monday 5 January will have their trees collected over the weekend of January 9-12. 

Dougie Mac is also encouraging individuals and businesses, particularly those with access to vans, to consider volunteering to help collect trees or to offer supplies or refreshments for the volunteers. 

To find out more about Dougie Mac's TreeCycle, make a donation and register your tree, visit the Dougie Mac website here.

Anyone interested in volunteering can contact the fundraising team at [email protected] or 01782 344 359.