An unusual recycling scheme has raised £10,000 for the children’s hospice charity Chestnut Tree House.
It could be described as a hip recycling idea but it also includes the metal in other artificial joints in people who have had surgery.
The scheme has enabled Downs Crematorium, in Brighton, to work with grieving families to recycle residual metals from cremations and donate the proceeds to the hospice, based near Arundel.
Dignity, which runs the Downs Crematorium, said that the recycling scheme operated with the express consent of families and that crematorium groundsman Henning Weich had a personal link to the hospice.
The crematorium operator said: “The funds raised through the scheme are a significant boost to local charity Chestnut Tree House, a hospice offering vital services to children and young people with life-limiting and life-threatening conditions across Sussex and South East Hampshire.
“With services ranging from short stays and day care to bereavement support, the hospice provides tailored care that supports families through some of their most challenging times.”
Chestnut Tree House community fundraiser Niamh Carmichael said: “We are so grateful for Downs Crematorium’s enthusiastic and generous support.
“It costs just over £6 million a year to provide all of our care services at Chestnut Tree House and we receive just 21 per cent of this from government funding.
“This means that the remaining funds have to be raised from our wonderful communities and organisations across Sussex like Downs Crematorium.
“We simply wouldn’t be able to continue to provide this vital care without it.”
Downs Crematorium business leader Andrea Mabbott said: “We are incredibly proud to support Chestnut Tree House, a charity that means so much to our team.
“Henning, our groundsman, has a personal connection to the hospice, so this donation is particularly meaningful. It’s our way of giving back to a charity that has provided such care and comfort.
“Recently, my team and I had the privilege of visiting the hospice and seeing first-hand the incredible work they do and the difference our donation will make.
“We extend our sincere gratitude to the bereaved families who have consented to our metal recycling scheme. Their generosity enables us to continue supporting vital local causes.”
For more information about Chestnut Tree House and its services, click here.
