A group of Lyme Regis sea scouts have raised money by collecting used Christmas trees.

The Powder Monkeys Explorer Sea Scouts, based in Lyme Regis, raised more than £800 for their unit through a Christmas tree collection last weekend.

They were able to help collect and recycle over 100 trees from the Lyme Regis and Uplyme area.

This is the third year of the explorer scouts running this service, which has seen another bumper year of demand. 

“We were lucky with the weather,” said Theo, one of the Explorer Sea Scouts helping out.

“The blue sky put everyone in a good mood and the public were really generous to us. We spent the night at the scout hut before to make sure we could start early." 

Scout leader Sarah Dean added: “We’ve had an amazing year raising over £800 for the unit and its activities - quite a few of the explorers chose to sleepover at the hut so we could start promptly on the Saturday, that made a huge difference. 

“Local people and businesses who used the service were extremely generous this year, despite everything going on in the world and with the economy, they gave more than ever - the generosity of the people of Lyme Regis and Uplyme never fails to amaze us. 

“As ever, our thanks to our amazing Explorers for their hard work; to our supportive volunteers and parents who keep us going; and a special thanks to Fowler Hire and Sales in Bridport for their loan of the chipper, it makes a real difference.”

The Explorers are a sea scout unit, so have a nautical theme to their activities and wear the distinctive blue shirts.

This year is set to be a busy one for them as they will be heading to the south of France in the summer on a canoeing trip down the Ardèche river.

Back home, they are hoping to support local events and being out and about in the community - focusing on achieving their King’s Scout Award, the highest award in scouting.

The Explorers look forward to repeating the fundraiser in 2025, having enjoyed three years of success with it so far.