Get behind St Catherine’s Hospice this Gift Aid Month!

Supporters of St Catherine’s Hospice are being encouraged to help the charity gain access to thousands of pounds worth of ‘free funding’ throughout its special Gift Aid Month.

This is because, where supporters sign up to Gift Aid, it adds 25% to hospice income at no cost to donors.

Many don’t realise the importance of Gift Aid to charities so, this month, St Catherine’s is making a special effort to explain how it works.

The Lostock Hall hospice has launched a month-long awareness campaign this September, to encourage donors and volunteers to make the most of the national initiative.

Colleagues at St Catherine’s 15 charity shops in Preston, Chorley and South Ribble are dressing their windows and displaying posters, balloons and banners to spread the message and encourage members of the public to participate in the scheme.

The hospice’s head of retail, Rachel Hewitt, explained: “Gift Aid is really important to a charity like St Catherine’s, because it allows us to reclaim tax on a donation made by a taxpayer. In practical terms this means that we can claim an extra 25p from the government on every pound that an item sells for in our shops. That’s an extra 25% worth of ‘free money’, which really should not be missed!

“We have to raise over £5million every year to run our wide range of specialist services which is very hard to achieve, and yet our patients depend on us doing so. So, every single source of income is vital and where we can add 25%, at no cost to our supporters, we really should be doing so.”

She added: “As well as benefiting the hospice, another bonus of ‘Gift Aiding’ your donations is that we are able to write to you each month to tell you how much money your items have generated for the charity. It’s a great way to stay connected with our wonderful supporters, and people can really see how far their donations go in bringing in vital money to help local people experiencing cancer, heart failure, motor neurone disease and other life-shortening illnesses.”

‘Gift Aiding’ donations – whether they be clothes, furniture or cash – at our shops or Donation Centre simply involves filling in a short form. Donors are then given a special Gift Aid card which can be scanned in at our tills when future donations are handed in. This also makes it easier for staff to let supporters know how much money their items have generated.

Stephen Greenhalgh, chief executive of the charity, added: “At St Catherine’s we do all that we can to make a difference for families facing tragic circumstances. It is all our fabulous supporters, whether or not they are eligible to contribute as a taxpayer to Gift Aid, who make that difference. St Catherine’s is inspired and supported by local people for local people, and we are extremely proud of this magnificent local achievement.”

Click here to see a list of our shops and where you can find them.

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