RSPCA Little Valley Animal Shelter signs up to The Charity Shop Gift Card

RSPCA Little Valley Animal Shelter is the latest charity in Devon to sign up to the first multi-retailer gift card that can be used exclusively in charity shops.

The Exeter-based charity has six shops raising money to help Devon’s animals in need. It joins Hospiscare and national charities, Marie Curie, The Children’s Society and YMCA in accepting the card in the county.

The Charity Shop Gift Card is a social enterprise that has been developed in partnership with the Charity Retail Association (CRA).

The scheme will support the growing second-hand revolution and help to reduce the amount of waste sent to landfill.

It will also offer national and regional charities the opportunity to tap into the £7billion gift card market*.

The cards themselves are recyclable and compostable and are now on sale to consumers in all Little Valley shops, online at www.thecharityshopgiftcard.co.uk, through a growing number of websites and via the gift card racks in major retailers including Sainsbury’s, Asda, WHSmith and Boots.

The Charity Shop Gift Card is a member of Social Enterprise UK, and the Gift Card and Voucher Association.

John Coles, Retail Development Manager for RSPCA Little Valley Animal Shelter, said: “Being almost entirely self-funded means we rely on generosity and support from our local communities to exist and so we’re always on the lookout for new initiatives that can help generate the vital funds we need. The gift card is a great way to not only support our work but also to help live more sustainably by buying preloved.”

Lee Fellows, Managing Director of The Charity Shop Gift Card, said: "We’re thrilled to welcome RSPCA Little Valley Animal Shelter to the scheme. We truly believe that The Charity Shop Gift Card is the perfect sustainable gift, that not only helps the environment but the great work of charities across the UK.”

A full list of participating charities is at www.thecharityshopgiftcard.co.uk

Key statistics from the Charity Retail Association:

• 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