The Charity Shop Gift Card has been developed by Gift Card CIC, a social enterprise, in partnership with the Charity Retail Association (CRA).The scheme will support the growing second-hand revolution, which is being led by the environmentally aware Gen Z and Millennials and helping to reduce the amount of waste sent to landfill.

The single-load gift cards themselves will be recyclable and compostable and will eventually be on sale to consumers in all St Rocco’s shops, online at www.thecharityshopgiftcard.co.uk, and through supermarkets and other major retailers in 2022.

Eric Russell, Head of Income Generation, said: “We’re really excited to be involved in the gift card and we can only see the scheme growing as people realise the benefits of buying secondhand.  We’re also really excited about the prospect of working with our local council to offer the gift card as way of providing essential items to the residents of Warrington. We currently have the card working in a few of our shops but we are aiming to get them all online ASAP.”

Warrington Borough Council signs up to scheme

Warrington Borough Council will be the first local authority to start using the charity gift card as part of its local welfare assistance. The council receives around 200 applications a month of claims for essentials such as white goods, beds, mattresses and sofas. In some instances there will be additional claims for help with clothing and other items. 

This will mean that claimants given the gift card will be able to redeem them at St. Rocco's shops, including the specialist furniture store in Mersey street.