The only multi-charity gift card is a social enterprise that helps people give more sustainably, buy more consciously and support good causes.
PHOTO CAPTION: Rosie Hinchliffe, Deputy Shop Manager
The Kirkwood, based in Kirklees, West Yorkshire, are now accepting The Charity Shop Gift Card — the only nationally accepted, multi-retailer gift card that can be spent exclusively in charity shops.
The Charity Shop Gift Card is a not-for-profit that has been developed and launched in association with the Charity Retail Association.
The Kirkwood are now selling and accepting it in their eighteen shops, which raise funds to help the charity support anyone affected by a life limiting illness in Kirklees at any time from moment they are diagnosed. Alongside this vital work, they provide care and support to families and loves ones, helping them to live on – and live well.
The gift card for good is being accepted by regional charities in most areas of the UK and in the national network of shops run by Marie Curie, Shelter, Crisis, YMCA and The Children’s Society.
The Kirkwood joins Yorkshire Cat Rescue, Prince of Wales Hospice, Forget Me Not Children’s Hospice and St Gemma’s Hospice in accepting the card in the region. Charity shoppers in West Yorkshire will soon have a huge number of shops where they can redeem their voucher making The Charity Shop Gift Card an ideal gift for sustainable shoppers and people that want to give back.
The scheme will support the growing second-hand revolution, which is helping to reduce the amount of waste sent to landfill. It will also help national and regional charities boost their own income by giving them their first collective opportunity to tap into the £7billion-a-year gift card market.
The Charity Retail Association has 450 members with 9,000 shops, and together they are already diverting over 300,000 tonnes of textiles away from landfill and contributing over £300million to help fund the work of their parent charities.
As a social enterprise, a minimum of 65% of the gift card scheme’s surplus will go towards funding charity gift cards for good causes to donate to the communities they are supporting.
The gift cards themselves are recyclable and compostable and are available from participating charities and at supermarkets and other major high street retailers. They can be purchased as e-vouchers from www.thecharityshopgiftcard.co.uk,
The Charity Shop Gift Card is a member of Social Enterprise UK, and the Gift Card and Voucher Association.
Paul Freethy, Head of Retail and Trading for The Kirkwood said: “Our mission to support individuals with life limiting illnesses is only possible through donations and revenue generated in our charity shops. We are excited to engage our supporters through a scheme which encourages people to lead a greener life and grow our revenue simultaneously.”
Lee Fellows, Co-founder of The Charity Shop Gift Card, said: “We’re delighted to now be working with The Kirkwood, widening the network of participating shops in West Yorkshire. As our scheme exponentially grows, we can offer sustainably minded customers with a unique gift idea and a fun shopping experience in turn.”
For more information:
www.thecharityshopgiftcard.co.uk
https://www.thekirkwood.org.uk
ENDS
Notes to editors
*Valuing the UK Gift Card Industry 2020 report was compiled by the Gift Card and Voucher Association (GCVA)
Key statistics from the Charity Retail Association — www.charityretail.org.uk/key-statistics
- Charity shops contribute £331million a year to parent charities
- Charity shops save councils £31million a year in waste disposal charges by divert 339,000 tonnes of textiles away from landfill or incineration
- Charity shops have more than 25,500 FTE employees
Find out where The Charity Shop Gift Card is being accepted across the UK at www.thecharityshopgiftcard.co.uk/stores
Find out more about The Kirkwood at www.thekirkwood.org.uk
