We have just received this notification via Tarporley Rotary;

The 2021 Christmas Tree Collection organised by St Luke’s Hospice has been cancelled as reported on their website. This is so sad but I think the right decision under the very difficult circumstances and the increasingly challenging situation we are all living in and with.

Below is the extract copied from the website;

For those who have booked a collection or know someone who has there is advice in regard of donations which is helpful – particularly for those wishing to leave their donation with the Hospice.

Perhaps it may be appropriate to consider including the info on the Utkinton website by way of support for the Hospice in their efforts to let people know in advance of the event as notice is short and the last thing they need is calls to say trees have not been collected.

Info copied from website

It is with a heavy heart that St Luke’s Hospice has made the very difficult decision to cancel our Christmas Tree Collection which was due to begin on Thursday 14^th January.

We are so sad to have come to this decision as we would never want to let you, our kind supporters, down in any way and the decision has not been taken lightly.

We have made the decision as we feel the risk of going ahead with the tree collection is too great to our staff and volunteers in light of the increasing transmission of Covid-19 in Cheshire and the number of people hospitalised at present. As a critical care provider ourselves we really have a duty of care to the local community and as such feel that we should, where possible, be encouraging people to stay at home in line with Government guidance to protect our NHS.

An email will be sent out from our partners at the JustHelping charity to all of you who have booked a tree collection.  If you have registered for a collection please look out for the JustHelping name as the email will not come from us at St Luke’s Hospice.

This is a devastating blow for the Hospice after an extremely challenging year for fundraising. The Christmas Tree Collection is one of our biggest annual campaigns generating vital funds which we rely on to continue to provide our care. We know that times are tough for everyone, however if you are able to let the Hospice hold on to your donation then we would be incredibly grateful. Of course we completely understand if you would like a refund and details of how to request this will be included in the email from JustHelping.

Once again we would like to reiterate how very sorry we are. Thank you for your understanding and continued support.