A SCHEME will allow residents to dispose of their real Christmas trees in an eco-friendly way while helping a charity.

St Helena’s Hospice’s annual Christmas Tree-cycle is now open for people to register their trees to be collected in the new year and recycled in exchange for a donation.

A spokesman from the hospice said: “Your donation will help us to light up the lives of patients and families this festive season and all year round, allowing us to continue to care for and support people when they need us most.

“Thanks to you, we can light up the darkness for people facing incurable illness and bereavement.”

Registrations for Christmas tree collecting are open until Monday.

The trees from Colchester postcode areas of CO1 to CO9, CO11 and CO13 to CO16 will be collected on January 7.

For more information or to register, visit sthelena.org.uk/