A sustainably sourced delivery service for Christmas trees has been set up in London to support out of work entertainers and charities this festive season.
Green Elf Trees, a new initiative from the team behind PlantSavers, will employ out of work musicians, actors and entertainers who would usually be busy performing at Christmas time.
Sustainably sourced trees will be delivered across south west London along with access to the Green Elf Tree playlist of Christmas tunes and carols to have on whilst decorating your tree with the groups’ decorations made of natural materials.
Co-founder of Green Elf Trees Matt Bouloux said: “Our thought when setting Green Elf Trees up was to think of Christmas as an opportunity to give back.
“The Green Elf delivery team is entirely made up of musicians and folks from the entertainment industry.
“We already have five drivers from the west end, from musical stage managers to singer-songwriters and a music tour manager.”
The initiative donates £3 from every purchase to one of their three charity partners, Dogs Trust, Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) and Shelter.
Matt said: “The stress and pain put on places like GOSH and the amazing work that out health services does, particularly during the crisis, meant we wanted to do something for them.
“GOSH has been an institution which commands respect for me as a Londoner and with nieces and nephews who have been to hospital on several occasions where they’ve been so well-cared for.”
He added: “In Shelter, we’ve got the perfect partner to support people in getting a roof over their head, something which should be a given, not a gift.”
The group of friends behind the project are based in Brixton, Bermondsey and Old Street and have collaborated together to ensure that the project is environmentally beneficial whilst also providing employment to artists and raising funds for charities.
Matt is a self-professed Labrador lover and has placed two particular star assistants pride of place, a puppy called Milo and his mother’s Lab, Charlie.
The two Labradors provide comic relief to the hardworking ‘elves’ and are said to be experts at relaxation unlike their human counterparts who are working away to deliver trees and decorations this festive season.
The coronavirus pandemic has resulted in many musicians, actors and entertainers, especially those who freelance, being short of work or without work entirely in the lead up to Christmas.
The Green Elf Trees Christmas playlist will be a combination of some original music from the out of work musicians who are crucial to the project, and the odd song from previous productions they have worked on.
The playlist will also include Christmas favourites, which are still in development, to provide a festive backdrop to customers when decorating their trees.
As well as the album which will be featured as part of the package, the team have also designed and created Christmas decorations made from natural materials to compliment their trees.
Designs range from dried orange slices to natural pine cones to rustic red trees and stars made from wood.
Sustainability is a large part of the project’s aims and the decorations have all been made out of glass or wood, with emphasis placed on the use of plastics in the decorations.
Matt and his team have set up Green Elf Trees on the back of their successful PlantSavers business which supports plant growers from across the UK to reduce the number of plants going to waste.
The business tries to avoid and reduce the negative environmental impact caused by the waste we produce and they are committed to being Carbon negative and endeavour to have no unnecessary product packaging.
This same philosophy has followed the team to Green Elf Trees.
Matt added: “We heard about two issues: London’s entertainers being unable to get appropriate work and charities reporting lower donations.
“Having realised the positive impact we can make even when locked down, we decided to launch Green Elf Trees.”
Matt said: ‘It’s a time of year that should be joyful, so we’re doing our best to end the year on a high note.”
You can visit Green Elf Trees Instagram and Facebook to find out more.
You can check out SWL’s other Christmas stories here.
Featured image credit: Green Elf Trees
