2026 Impact at a glance
Our biggest year yet.
£1.88M
raised for charities and community groups
88,544
real Christmas trees collected and recycled
4,000+
volunteers gave their time across the UK
1.4M kg
estimated CO₂e emissions prevented
A message from our Founder
Thank you.
From Nick Stammers, Founder
"Every year, I'm reminded that the true strength of the Appeal isn't measured by the number of trees collected or the funds raised, but by the extraordinary people who make it happen.
To every volunteer, charity partner, supporter and corporate partner — thank you. Together you've helped strengthen communities, protect our environment and raise vital funds for local causes across the UK. I'm incredibly proud of everything we've achieved together."
Nick Stammers
Founder, Just Helping
Watch how communities across the UK came together to make our biggest year yet possible.
Community Impact
Our 2026 Impact in the Community
We are delighted to share that January 2026 marked the biggest Christmas TreeCycle Appeal in our history.
Across the UK, thousands of volunteers, charities, community groups and corporate partners came together to collect and recycle real Christmas trees, raising a record-breaking £1,885,915.14 for local causes.
At Just Helping, our mission is to enable people to support their local communities through volunteering and fundraising. The Christmas TreeCycle Appeal continues to be a powerful example of this mission in action.
Together, we've now helped raise almost £9 million for charities across the UK since the Appeal began in 2012, transforming Christmas trees into vital funds for local communities year after year.
2026 Highlights
£1.88M
raised for charities and community groups
+£345k vs 2025
88,544
real Christmas trees collected and recycled
+15,261 vs 2025
4,000+
volunteers gave their time across the UK
12M+
households could access the Christmas TreeCycle Appeal service
+3 million vs 2025
The Appeal in Action
A simple service with lasting local impact.
Our flagship Christmas TreeCycle Appeal offers households a simple, convenient way to recycle their real Christmas tree while making a voluntary donation to support local charities.
Collections are delivered in partnership with charities, community groups, local authorities and businesses across the UK, with thousands of volunteers giving their time each January.
The Appeal continues to grow year after year, helping to fund essential services in local communities while providing a trusted, convenient recycling service for the public. The 2026 Appeal delivered record fundraising, participation and national reach, creating an even stronger foundation for future growth.
Growth since 2012
From one idea to a national movement.
Since launching in 2012, Christmas TreeCycle has grown from a simple community fundraising idea into a nationwide campaign supporting charities, volunteers and households across the UK.
2012
The idea begins
A simple idea to collect Christmas trees and raise money for local charities becomes the start of the TreeCycle Appeal.
2016
Growing reach
£75k
raised annually as the Appeal began to grow across more communities.
2020
Momentum builds
£570k
raised, with tens of thousands of trees collected and recycled.
2024
Crossing £1M!
£1.18M
raised for UK charities, with 65,371 trees collected and recycled.
2026
Biggest year yet
£1.88M raised
89,000 trees collected and recycled
12M+ households offered the service
Where the money goes
How we distributed the money raised
Every pound raised through donations, Gift Aid and sponsorship helps support charities and communities across the UK, while enabling Just Helping charity to continue developing the systems, support and technology that make the Appeal possible.
81.2p
Main charity partner
Distributed to the collection-leading charity partner delivering the Appeal in their local area.
5.6p
Local community groups
Shared with local community groups and charities supporting collections on the ground.
13.1p
Future of the Appeal
Invested in Just Helping charity to support event delivery and future growth.
100%
of every donation goes to charity
This exceptional outcome reflects both the generosity of our supporters and the efficiency of our model. A prime example of our commitment to ensuring donations create the greatest possible benefit for those who need it most.
£1,479,271.30
distributed to 70 collection-leading charities
Supporting vital local services and helping communities benefit directly from the generosity of Christmas TreeCycle supporters.
Community Donations
Supporting wider local communities
This year, £114,675.56 was raised and allocated to the wider local community through nominations from volunteers, charity partners and the Just Helping team. These donations supported more than 109 smaller charities and community organisations across the UK.
£114,675
distributed to community donations
109+
smaller charities and community organisations supported
5.6p
in every £1 distributed to local community groups and charities
A ripple effect across local causes
Community donations help recognise the wider network of organisations that make Christmas TreeCycle possible, from volunteer groups and sports clubs to food banks, youth charities, health and welfare charities, environmental organisations and community hubs.
Many of these organisations provide crucial support, resources, marketing, volunteers, vehicles and local knowledge, helping collections grow while creating lasting benefit for communities beyond January.
Community Donations 2026
Breakdown of community donation nominations by recipient category.
Environmental Impact
Helping communities. Protecting the planet.
Every real Christmas tree collected through the Big Christmas TreeCycle Appeal is recycled rather than sent to landfill, helping reduce greenhouse gas emissions while creating reusable woodchip for local parks, gardens and community spaces.
88,544
real Christmas trees registered, collected and recycled
1.4M kg
estimated CO₂e emissions prevented by diverting trees from landfill
46
estimated electric van days supporting collections across the UK
Why does this matter?
Recycling for a cleaner planet
Every real Christmas tree collected through the Appeal is 100% recycled. Trees are chipped for use in local parks and gardens, converted into biomass, or reused in environmental and landscaping projects across the UK.
If a standard two-metre real Christmas tree is sent to landfill it releases around 16kg of CO₂e through methane emissions. Recycling the same tree instead can reduce those emissions by around 80%, to approximately 3.5kg of CO₂e.
Environmental impact in 2026
1.4 million kg of CO₂e prevented
Thanks to the generosity of our supporters and partners, this year's Appeal prevented an estimated 1.4 million kg of CO₂e from entering the atmosphere by ensuring Christmas trees were recycled instead of sent to landfill.
🚙 That's equivalent to driving an average petrol car more than 6 million miles – or around the Earth over 240 times.
From Christmas tree to community resource: thousands of volunteers and help ensure every collected tree is given a second life.
🚚 Driving greener collections
As the Appeal grows, we continue to explore ways to reduce the environmental impact of collections. This includes encouraging the use of electric vehicles where possible and working with corporate partners who can help provide greener transport solutions.
We are especially grateful to Bupa for their generous sponsorship of 20 electric vans, provided by Enterprise in Manchester. We would also like to thank Biffa for their ongoing support, including vast EV participation on the Manchester collection.
Reducing print, increasing digital reach
Many collections across the UK are also choosing to reduce printed marketing materials and focus more on digital methods of promotion.
From digital marketing and email campaigns to social media, online banners and partner-led promotion, this shift helps collections reach supporters more efficiently while reducing unnecessary print.
In the Media
Growing awareness nationwide
Every interview, headline, broadcast feature and billboard helped introduce more people to the Big Christmas TreeCycle Appeal, encouraging households across the UK to recycle their Christmas trees while supporting local charities and community groups.
Growing our reach
During the 2026 Appeal, Just Helping featured across television, radio, newspapers, digital media and outdoor advertising, reaching millions of people across the UK. Every piece of coverage helped introduce new audiences to Christmas TreeCycle while celebrating the incredible work of our charity partners, volunteers and supporters.
Media and marketing reach
28 million+ combined impacts and reach
Through national and regional media coverage, billboard advertising, social media and digital marketing, the Appeal reached more people than ever before.
National Television
Our first national TV appearance
For the first time in the charity's history, Christmas TreeCycle featured on national television when founder Nick Stammers appeared live on Sky News. The interview highlighted how communities across the UK were recycling their Christmas trees, supporting local charities and reducing environmental impact.
The appearance introduced the Appeal to a nationwide audience and marked a significant milestone in raising awareness of Just Helping's mission.
Regional Radio
Sharing stories across the UK
During the 2026 Appeal, interviews with BBC local radio stations, Sky News, Global Radio and commercial broadcasters helped promote collections across the UK. These conversations encouraged more people to recycle their Christmas trees while highlighting the incredible work of local charities and volunteers.
Listen to a selection of highlights from our regional radio interviews during the 2026 Big Christmas TreeCycle Appeal.
Outdoor Advertising
Taking TreeCycle to the streets
In 2026, Christmas TreeCycle appeared across high-profile billboard locations in Greater Manchester, helping introduce the Appeal to thousands of households during the key registration period.
The campaign helped raise awareness of Just Helping and positioned Christmas TreeCycle as a simple, convenient way to recycle real Christmas trees while supporting local charities.
13
billboard locations
7 days
live campaign
12.5M
estimated impacts
Talent Support
Familiar faces backing the Appeal
We were grateful to receive support from well-known faces who helped share Christmas TreeCycle with their audiences, raising awareness of the Appeal and encouraging more people to support local charities.
Mark Bonnar
Actor and Traitors UK star
Alex Jones
The One Show
Dame Arlene Phillips
Strictly Come Dancing judge
Lisa Riley
Emmerdale and I'm A Celebrity star
Looking Ahead
Building on the momentum of our biggest Appeal yet
The success of the 2026 Big Christmas TreeCycle Appeal has given us an incredible foundation for the future. Every collection, donation, volunteer shift and partnership has shown what can be achieved when communities come together.
Our ambition is to continue growing the Appeal, reaching more households, supporting more charities and giving even more people the opportunity to make a difference in their local communities.
More communities
Expanding Christmas TreeCycle into new areas across the UK.
More partnerships
Working with charities, businesses, and councils to grow the appeal.
More impact
Raising more vital funds while protecting the environment.
Our ambition
As the UK’s largest Christmas tree recycling initiative, we have an opportunity to create an even greater impact, one community at a time.
In an increasingly busy and overwhelming world, Just Helping exists to bring people back together: encouraging neighbours, volunteers, charities and businesses to recognise local need and take action. By continuing to grow the Appeal, we can help more people contribute to their communities, support more local charities and build a stronger sense of connection across the UK.
Join the Appeal
Be part of something bigger.
Join the UK’s largest Christmas tree recycling initiative and help build stronger communities, protect the environment and support local charities across the UK.
Bigger. Better. Stronger. Together.