Frequently Asked Questions

When will the collection take place?

The collection will take place on Saturday, 7th January and Sunday, 8th January.

When must I register my tree by?

Please book early to avoid disappointment. Unless we reach capacity earlier we will be closing down registrations at 5p.m. on Thursday, 5th January.

What time will you collect my tree?

Due to the vast number of trees to be collected we are unable to give an exact time when we will be in your area. Please have your trees out in time for the collection to start at 9:00am on Saturday, 7th January.

Where should I place my tree?

Where possible leave it on your property close to the road where it can be easily seen. If you have to leave it on the pavement please ensure it is not a safety hazard to others. If it cannot be left in view please include information on where it is when you register. eg "Through gate on the left, down alley in garden." Please ensure that your tree can be retrieved safely by our volunteers.

How do I make my donation?

Please leave your donation in a plastic bag discreetly attached to your tree. Cheques are preferred and should be made payable to the East Cheshire Hospice. We will never ask for cash. Please put your address on the back of the cheque. If we have sent you an email with a reference number please include the reference number as well.

Can I donate via the Internet?

No. We have looked at this and whilst there do not seem to be any technical problems there are fees to be paid which could amount to thousands of pounds. We do not feel that we could justify to our supporters that this was a good use of money that otherwise could have gone to the hospice.

What is the minimum donation?

The aim of the collection is to raise money for the Hospice so we hope everyone will donate. The suggested minimum donation is £4-00 per tree. However, this is a worthwhile cause so please feel free to leave a larger donation.

What should I do if I forget to leave a donation with the tree?

If there is no donation we will leave details of what to do. Please consider the extra effort this would cause us.

What should I do if you don't collect my tree?

Over the weekend, if you have seen our lorry and we didn't take your tree please contact us on 07980 846367. Otherwise, please don't be concerned, we will be collecting until late afternoon on Sunday.

After the weekend, please contact us.

What happens to my tree?

It is shredded, taken away and composted. Based upon the tonnage we collect we receive a grant from the government for the avoided landfill.

How is the data I provide used?

Any information you provide will be held securely and used and disclosed to other parties only in accordance with the following.

• To enable the operation of the Christmas Tree Collection this year, including any communication with yourself needed for this purpose.
• To notify you next year about plans for the collection.
• We will provide details of donations received to the Hospice for their records and to allow them to reclaim Gift Aid. They may use this information to contact you about Gift Aid or to thank you for your donation.
• Information may be provided to Government agencies for the purpose of reclaiming tax under the Gift Aid scheme or otherwise as required by law.

Information will only remain active on our database if you continue to use our service. However, we will retain historical information for analysis purposes and in case there are queries over donations.

Who are the Data Controllers?

The Data Controllers are Peter Chapman, Richard Raymond & Tony Middleton. They can be contacted here.

How do I object to the use of my data?

Please contact the Data Controllers. Depending on what you request, it may be that we cannot include you in the collection.

Your website wanted me to use a lookup to find my address but then couldn't find it. Why?

Because of the large number of trees we collect and the number of helpers we have, it is important that we have accurate addresses so that we can manage the collection efficiently. By using a look up of addresses we can help ensure that we collect addresses in a consistent manner. We would like to use a full address database like larger sites use but access to this data is expensive. Instead, we make use of data we have collected in the past but this is not complete and so we may not be able to find your address. If you could help us gain access to better data we would be very keen to hear from you.

Does your website meet the accessibility needs of people with disabilities?

We have in the past attempted to validate the website against the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.0.

However, such validation requires skills and resources we do not have. If you believe you could help us improve this please contact us.

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