Frequently Asked Questions
When will the site be open for January 2025 collection bookings? We usually open bookings in early to mid November each year. Check back again in a few days if it is already that time of year.
Do you supply Christmas trees? No, but other local Scout groups do. 1st Hinchley Wood Scouts have been supplying Christmas trees to the local area for over 30 years www.1sthwscouts.org.uk. 2nd Molesey Scouts also sell trees https://www.scout-trees.co.uk.
Where do you collect trees from? In January 2024, we collected trees from postcodes KT6 (Long Ditton), KT7 (Thames Ditton), KT8 (Molesey), KT10 8xx and KT10 9xx (Esher) and KT10 0xx (Hinchley Wood). We are likely to do the same in 2025.
How many Christmas trees can you collect from me? If you have more than one tree for collection at the same address, please add as many tree collection products as you need to your shopping basket before you check out. Each payment is for one tree.
When’s the last date that I can book? We have limited collection capacity and stop taking bookings once we reached that limit. We usually reach this at the very end of December, but we suggest you book as early as you can. We’re very sorry, but after we close, we simply cannot take any more bookings.
When do I need to put my tree out for collection? Please put your tree out by the evening of Friday 5th January. We will be collecting from 8am on Saturday 6th January and finishing by 4.30pm on Sunday 7th January. We cannot tell you when exactly your tree will be collected.
Where do I leave my tree? Trees should be left outside the collection address you gave, but still on your property. Don’t lean them against hedges as they can be hard to spot. If you have a driveway, please leave the tree at the end so we can easily see it as we drive past.
Please do not leave trees on the pavement or public highway, or on the ‘other side’ of your property which may be on a different road to your collection address.
Do I need to chop up or wrap the tree? No. Just remove all decorations, tags and plastic, but leave your tree intact and unwrapped.
Do I need to wait in for you? No. Just put your tree outside by the end of Friday 5th January. Remember to put it somewhere easily visible, or at the what3words location you may have given us when you booked.
When exactly will you collect my tree? We are unable to give a specific time or day over the collection weekend. Please ensure your tree is out for collection by the evening of Friday 5th January. We will be collecting between 8am and 4.30pm on Saturday and Sunday.
Do you take Christmas wreaths? No. The trees get chipped and wreaths usually contain wire or plastic, which means we cannot accept them.
What happens to the trees? We pile them all up on land that Sandown Park racecourse kindly allows us to use. Then we bring in Greenwood's Tree Contractors, who use impressively large and powerful equipment to convert them to woodchip which is then used as biomass for power generation, or for compost.
How can I help? Let your neighbours know about the collection! Tell your friends on your street, or advertise the collection for us on your local social media. The more trees we have to collect on each street, the easier it is for us! If you want to really get involved, and help out on the collection weekend (it is fun!), then drop us an email and let us know!
I cannot see the Check Out button. If you have entered a postcode that is not within our collection area checkout will not activate. We are having to collect from a smaller area due to circumstances beyond our control. Please contact help@collectmytree.co.uk if you think you are in the collection area and continue to have issues.
Why don’t you have a phone number? A large number of volunteers work together to run the service, so it isn’t practical to give a single contact phone number. The team constantly monitors our help@collectmytree.co.uk email.
Will you remind me of my booking? Yes. We will send reminder emails a few days before the collection.
How can I help? We welcome any help! If you’d like to get involved, you can volunteer your time or your vehicle to help with our tree collection. Get in touch at help@collectmytree.co.uk
How do I pay? Payment is done through our online booking system. You can use PayPal or a credit card.
What if I can’t pay online? Sorry, but we can only take online payments. Perhaps ask a friend to book for you.
Can I make an additional donation? Yes please! As well as paying to have a tree collected, you can also add a voluntary donation. You should see a donation popup when you go to check out.
Can I gift aid my tree collection donation? Because you are paying for a service, we cannot reclaim Gift Aid on your payment for a Christmas tree collection.
How can I find out more about your organisation? We are 1st Weston Green (All Saints) Scout Group, a registered charity, number 1180590. We are also a registered waste carrier, number CBDL414151. Like all scout groups, we are run entirely by unpaid volunteers. We receive no funding from central or local government, but rely on the generosity of our Christmas tree collection customers to boost our funds and allow us to keep scouting affordable for all families. For more information, please visit our website.
What do the donations go towards? We use the funds to keep our subscription fees at a level that all families can afford. Also to purchase the equipment we need to allow young people to experience all the joys of camping, expeditions, and other exciting activities. Scouting helps young people learn skills for life.
Will you be running this service again? Yes. This is the main annual fundraiser for our Scout group.
My tree has not been collected, what do I do? Trees are being collected on Saturday 6th and Sunday 7th January 2024. You will receive a text to say your tree has been collected. If your tree has still not been collected by 1pm on Sunday, please email help@collectmytree.co.uk with your order number.
I’ve had a text/email saying you could not find my tree, what do I do? Please email us at help@collectmytree.co.uk ASAP with your order number and we will try to arrange a re-collection. However, if the collection weekend is over, we may only be able to refund you. The text may come from an odd looking number +1 (5xx) xxx-xxxx, this is because we use American software for our collection service.