By collecting a record haul of 2,090 Christmas trees Julia’s House has raised £17,229 in donations for the hospice.

The trees were taken to Adventure Pirate in Lytchett Minster and ECO Sustainable Solutions in Christchurch, and recycled as chippings for use on local farmland and community spaces.

The charity collected 1,463 trees in Dorset and a further 627 Christmas trees in Wiltshire. The figure was a huge increase on last year’s collection of 404 trees in Dorset and 230 trees in Wiltshire.

Charlie Squires, from the Julia’s House Fundraising Team, said: “We’ve been blown away by the response we’ve had to our tree collection – it’s been brilliant to see bookings more than triple in Dorset. We’d like to say a jolly big thank you to everyone who helped make this year’s event a fundraising success, from our dedicated team of helpers to the local people who made donations for their tree collection.”