Merrist Wood College and University Centre were delighted to once again support the team from Shooting Star Children鈥檚 Hospices for the third year of their annual Christmas Tree Collection and Recycling Service. This is a great fundraising activity for such a valuable local charity and a collaboration we are proud to be a part of.
Over the course of a week, we took delivery of van loads of trees from local homes and businesses who had made a donation to the charity, all delivered by volunteer drivers from partner organisations, Sky, Ellis Wines, Kier Group, Balfour Beatty, Drainline Southern Ltd and Galliford Try.
While our first year Arborist Apprentices played a key role, chipping trees as part of their City & Guilds NPTC Level 2 Award in Safe Use of Manually Fed Wood-Chipper training and assessment, full time Arboriculture, Countryside Management and Employability students also helped feeding the 623 trees into the large chipper that employer partners Benton Arboriculture and Treeline Services Ltd had provided for the event!
Employer partner Makita UK were also on hand supplying machinery, sharing their expertise, and treating our learners to pizza and popcorn – which was a big hit!
Aligned with our commitment to sustainability, the resulting wood chippings will be left to break down before being spread in the college鈥檚 pinetum to protect and nourish our pine and conifer trees.
Richard Cant, Curriculum Manager of Arboriculture, Landscaping and Horticulture at Merrist Wood College and University Centre said:
“This collaborative project provided invaluable learning opportunities for our students and apprentices, while also instilling a strong sense of purpose and connection to the community.
“We extend our heartfelt thanks to Benton Arboriculture and Treeline for generously lending us their large chipper. This allowed our students to gain hands-on experience with equipment of this scale and efficiently process all 623 trees.
“We are proud to support this cherished local charity, which plays such a vital role in our community. We look forward to contributing again to their Christmas 2025 appeal.”
Learn more about apprenticeships at Merrist Wood College and University Centre here聽