The chairman of a Scottish family leisure activity firm has hailed the £13 million distribution of Scotland Loves Local Gift Cards as a boost for community inclusion.
Innoflate is among the brands showing its support for the initiative, praising the way in which it is being used to support low income households and registering to accept it at the company’s five venues.
Aberdeen City Council, Aberdeenshire City Council, Fife Council, West Lothian Council, Dundee City Council, Angus Council, Edinburgh City Council, Argyll and Bute Council, Glasgow City Council and South Ayrshire Council have all used their regional Scotland Loves Local Gift Card to distribute Scottish Government Local Authority Covid Economic Recovery (LACER) Funding to low income households, totalling £13 million.
The regional Scotland Loves Local Gift Cards can be used like a debit card across a range of businesses in that area, such as food and drink, health and beauty, services, accommodation. Leisure and attractions are also involved, including Innoflate venues in Aberdeen, Elgin, Dundee, Livingston and Cumbernauld.
Innoflate chairman John McGee, pictured above, said: “We’re expanding in 2023 with four to six new sites, so this is the ideal time for us to partner with the Scotland Loves Local Gift Card and accept the regional cards across our venues. Support for local is fundamental. The gift card is great for our economy, for employment and for demonstrating the uniqueness of our towns.
“Now is the time for us to invest in our towns and cities, and encourage people back into them. Every person brings something to the community and every person should have the opportunity to experience and participate in it. I see the Scotland Loves Local Gift Card, and the distribution of the Scottish Government’s LACER funding through the cards, as an equaliser. It’s a way to support people through the cost of living crisis but also to make the community more accessible and inclusive for them.
“With the economic climate that we’re in right now, funds are tight. Families are making difficult choices, and our hope is that by accepting the cards, families can have time together and prioritise their fitness, mental health and wellbeing.
“There has never been a better time to bring our businesses together through the Scotland Loves Local Gift Card, giving businesses and people the opportunity to influence our own communities. By working together, we can make a difference. The Scotland Loves Local Gift Card demonstrates hope for the future of our Scottish towns and cities, making us a force to be reckoned with.”
Aberdeen’s Innoflate and The Beach Bar are part of the Aberdeenshire Gift Card, Innoflate Dundee accepts the Dundee Gift Card, Pinz Elgin is part of the Moray Gift Card, Innoflate Livingston accepts the West Lothian Gift Card and Innoflate Cumbernauld is part of the North Lanarkshire Gift Card.
The Scottish Government backed the introduction of the regional Scotland Loves Local Gift Cards as part of a landmark move to give every region in Scotland the opportunity to introduce its own local gift card, delivered by Scotland’s Town Partnership (STP) and Perth based fintech Miconex.
STP’s Kimberley Guthrie
Kimberley Guthrie, STP’s director of operations, said: “It’s great to see an ambitious, growing Scottish company like Innoflate get behind the Scotland Loves Local Gift Card. Support like this will help boost local economies as we urge everyone to build a better future by thinking, choosing and spending locally.
“The card is so diverse and gives people the chance to enjoy the very best of local life – whether that’s fantastic food, buying essentials or having a fun family day out.
“It’s fantastic that Innoflate is supporting the communities in which it operates by joining the growing family of businesses accepting the gift cards, keeping spending local for longer.”
Colin Munro is the Managing Director of Miconex and said: “The Scotland Loves Local Gift Card represents support for local businesses with unbeatable local choice for the recipient. A resident can use their Scotland Loves Local Gift Card on food for the week or new clothes, as much as family time at an Innoflate venue or at a local swimming pool. The disbursement of the Scotland Loves Local Gift Card is putting that choice into the recipient’s hands in a card that they can redeem with dignity within their community.”
