OVER 140 volunteers have collected more than 1,600 Christmas trees for a hospice in Somerset, raising more than £20,000.

Despite the chilly winter weather, supporters travelled across Somerset to take part in the third annual St Margaret’s Hospice Christmas tree collection event.

Volunteers took the trees to local drop-off stations, where they were chipped by tree surgeons.

The chippings were then gifted to farming and allotment communities, for use as mulch or on pathways.

Volunteer Jeff Simmons-Smith said: "It's the third time I've taken part in St Margaret’s Christmas tree collection, and I absolutely loved it again this year.

"Me and my brother-in-law, Roddy, hauled around 70 trees into the van between us on Saturday and it felt amazing to give back to the hospice and have fun at the same time.

"The biggest tree we collected was a whopping 13ft high and whenever we returned to drop off our trees we were greeted with nothing but smiles and praise.

"Everyone did an amazing job and I’m thrilled to have been part of such an incredible initiative."

Residents who donated their trees contributed an average of £15 each to the cause.

The donations helped cover the cost of care at St Margaret's Hospice, with every 10 trees equating to the cost of looking after nine patients for a day at the charity’s Sunflower Centre Day Hospice.

Kerry Baillie, community partnerships manager at St Margaret’s Hospice, said: "We are so thankful to our wonderful volunteers who did an absolutely amazing job in the chilly winter weather to collect 1,600 trees for us with smiles on their faces.

"They were so inspiring and we’re so grateful to them all for giving up their time to support us.

"This year was the biggest collection we've ever done at St Margaret’s, and we're delighted to have raised so much money to help us continue to provide care and support to people across the county."

The endeavour garnered immense support from local businesses contributing to the project, with multiple organisations helping make the event a success.

The charity is keen on maintaining the momentum of this initiative, with Ms Baillie adding: "We’re already looking forward to next year’s collection so stay tuned for updates."

St Margaret’s Hospice would like to say thank you to all those who contributed to the Christmas tree collection, including various local firms.