A pioneering local gift card scheme has been used to say ‘thank you’ to more than 1,000 hard-working carers across Scotland – injecting back into local communities at the same time.
Scotland Loves Local Gift Cards are available for each of the country’s 32 local authority regions and can only be spent in the areas in which they are branded – keeping money local for longer.
And an increasing number of Scottish charities and care-giving organisations have used the innovative scheme to support service users and reward staff – including Scottish Care who used 17 of the Scotland Loves Local Gift Cards to show appreciation to its 44-strong team, including in Glasgow, South Ayrshire, South Lanarkshire, Fife, and Argyll and Bute.
The Scotland Loves Local Gift Card scheme is an extension of the Scotland Loves Local campaign – the drive led by Scotland’s Towns Partnership (STP) for people to think, choose and spend locally to build a stronger future for their community.
Kimberley Guthrie, Interim Chief Officer at STP, said: “This Carers Week, we are delighted that so many people have been able to enjoy fantastic local experiences with the Scotland Loves Local Gift Card.
“The Scotland Loves Local Gift Card offers a huge range of choice for recipients to spend their gift on a meal out, a trip to the shops, fantastic local experiences, or household items – and allows them to take pride in spending with local businesses.
“It is fantastic that so many charities and organisations are recognising the hard work of their colleagues and volunteers in this way – and as recipients will then go out and spend their gift cards in local businesses, everybody wins. The Scotland Loves Local Gift Card is a gift to the whole community.”
STP’s Kimberley Guthrie with the Scotland Loves Local Gift Card
Dundee Carers Centre, which aims to improve the lives of unpaid carers of all ages by giving help, advice and access to learning, is using the Scotland Loves Local Dundee Gift Card as part of its Short Breaks programme – meaning carers can take time for themselves, recharge, or reconnect with a hobby.
Marthe Hastie, Team Leader at Dundee Carers Centre Short Breaks said: “Our main objective when supporting a carer to access Short Breaks is that the break has to be personal to that carer.
“There are over 200 businesses where the Dundee Gift Card can be used which means we can offer our carers choice and flexibility. Our goal is to make the carer’s short break as stress free as possible, and having the gift card supports that – especially in the case of young carers or older carers as they don’t have to worry about cash.
“Another reason for choosing the Dundee Gift Card is that it means the money stays in the city. These businesses support our carers, and it is important to us that we support the businesses in return. Many large brands are part of gift card programs, but we like the fact that the Dundee Gift Card includes smaller businesses who would not ordinarily benefit.”
In 2022, Scottish Care rewarded each of their staff with a £50 gift card to say ‘thank you’ for the work they did supporting organisations and front line care throughout the pandemic – purchasing 44 cards across 17 different regions in Scotland for their staff located across the country to enjoy.
Laura Bennie, office manager and executive PA for Scottish Care said: “For any charities or non-profit organisations thinking about using the Scotland Loves Local Gift Cards, I would have no hesitation in recommending them. As an organisation with a good amount of staff all spread out across Scotland, the ordering process was really easy and enabled us to give our staff a thank you that offers both choice and support for the community.”
For more information about the Scotland Loves Local Gift Card, click here.
