With every wall, mantelpiece and window sill plastered in Christmas cards every year it won’t be a total shock that 2 billion Christmas cards will be sent in the UK this year. What might surprise you though is that nearly a third of Christmas cards include a donation to charity.
With over sixty charity packs supporting top charities to choose from this year buying from Love Kate’s will give thousands of pounds to good causes this Christmas.
Interesting Fact | 30% of all Christmas cards sent in the UK include a donation to charity.People just love giving through charity cards at Christmas and this year Kate decided to get in touch with suppliers early to talk to them about which Charity Cards they had to offer. Kate’s looked into the charities themselves too and after a lot of thought has come up with wide range of charities and designs for her customers to choose from. We’re sure there’s something at Love Kate’s for everyone. Kate Malt, at Love Kate’s says:
“It’s been really important for us to listen carefully to what customers want from a Charity Card. Last year we only had a small range and they were very popular, but we’d sold out by November. This year I’ve extended the Charity Card range and I’ve made sure there’s plenty to go around.”
There are so many worthy causes teaming up with card manufacturers out there that it’s impossible for Kate to stock them all, but, in the end, Kate’s settled for these ten top good causes. Here’s a little bit about her favourites:
Children with Cancer UK is the leading national children's charity dedicated to fighting cancer in children. Sadly, there are thousands of young people diagnosed with cancer every year in the Britain, but thankfully the good people at Children with Cancer UK are determined to find ways to help and provide care for suffering children. We are so happy at Kate’s to support Children with Cancer UK and the cards, like these lovely Festive Robins, are a real pleasure to offer to our customers.
The Samaritans are there to talk 24/7. We all need someone to talk to sometimes, but the trouble is that there’s not always anyone there to listen. The Samaritans are always there to talk to people in need. Every six seconds, somebody contacts the Samaritans for help and every time you buy one of their supported packs, like this Good Elf Christmas Card pack, you’ll be helping this wonderful charity pick up the phone and turn someone’s life around.
The Prince’s Trust is the UK's leading young people’s charity. We don’t know whether the Prince is a fan of dressing up dogs at Christmas but what we do know is that, since it’s foundation by HRH The Prince of Wales in 1976, the Prince’s Trust have done so much good for young people that we just had to include the charity in our top ten.
For Children’s Charity Childline no problem is too small. Childline is a confidential service for young people nineteen and under to talk about whatever it is that might be affecting their day-to-day lives. At Childline young people are free to contact a counsellor about absolutely anything. What we really like about Childline is that they’re set-up to talk to young people in so many ways that it really makes it easy for them to get in touch. We’ve got several card packs that support Childline and we hope you like this Santa Card Pack that gives to them.
WaterAid. We all take safe drinking water and toilet facilities for granted, but alas this luxury is not yet a universal worldwide right. WaterAid’s purpose is to put this right and is on a mission to transform the lives of the poorest and most marginalised people by improving their access to clean water. There are several Charity Card designs in support WaterAid for you to choose from at Kate’s.
Shelter & Crisis have teamed up and put their joint names to some of our favourite Charity Christmas Card Packs this year. Shelter helps millions of people every year struggling with homelessness and poor housing, while Crisis, with a similar mission, focuses on single homeless people. Both Charities are committed to ending homelessness, not just by campaigning effectively for change, but by delivering life-changing services. By providing practical housing advice and support online, Shelter and Crisis make a big difference for homeless people, for those facing homelessness through mortgage arrears, or simply not having anywhere else to sleep. Buying these lovely Charity Card Packs from Kate’s you’ll not only be helping people facing difficulties with housing, but you’ll be helping to change the way society thinks about homeless people too.
British Heart Foundation is a leading Research Charity, whose mission is to fight against cardiovascular disease and rid the world of a disease that claims so many lives prematurely in the UK.
Interesting Fact | Seven out of ten people who go to hospital with a heart attack will survive to return home.When the British Heart Foundation started in 1961, the odds of survival from a heart attack were poor. Thanks to their pioneering research and lifesaving treatments most people that suffer a heart today attack will survive. Every time we sell one of our British Heart Foundation Charity Card Packs we’re helping support new life-saving treatments that will benefit us all.
Marie Curie Cancer Care. Marie Curie died from leukaemia, a blood cancer caused by her being exposed to high-energy radiation while researching two elements, Radium and Polonium. At the time scientists thought only Uranium was radioactive and dangerous, but Marie Curie’s study discovered that just one gram of pure Polonium was lethal.
Interesting Fact | Polonium is 250,000 times more poisonous than arsenic.As Marie Curie worked with only tiny amounts of the elements, Marie Curie survived until she was 67, but, in the end, sadly her scientific research killed her.
Marie Curie Cancer Care was founded in Marie Curie’s honour and helps people and their families living with terminal illness. The Charity offers specialist care and support to help people get the most from the time they have left. In particular, most of us would prefer to die peacefully at home. Marie Curie Nurses make every effort to make this possible and their wonderful service is free to the people and their families they care for.
Children’s Hospice I don’t think there is a person in the world that wouldn’t consider this wonderful Children’s Charity wasn’t one of the most worthwhile of Charities in the UK? The Children’s Hospice not only provides care for children with life-limiting conditions, but they also give support to children by supporting their parents, carers and professionals involved in their care. Reaching out to support the wider families of very poorly children gives valuable respite for the parents, as well as benefitting the sick child too. This kind of care is expensive and every little we can give the Children’s Hospice really does make a difference. We have to say that, in the past the Children’s Hospice Charity Packs sell out quickly so if you want to buy your Christmas cards and support their wonderful work you will have to be quick.
You can find out more about Children’s Hospice here: www.chsw.org.uk
Battersea Dog & Cat’s Home. There’s no doubt the British love and care about their pets and none so much as their Dogs and Cats. Every year, Battersea Dog & Cat’s Home look after 8,000 dogs and cats and have the admirable aim to never to turn away a dog, or cat in need of help. At Battersea, Dogs and Cats are cared for until their owners, or loving new homes can be found. As long as they have the financial backing this charity will never give up caring for Dogs and Cat. This resonates with Kate who has two Cockapoos herself and, because so many cards showing dogs and cats are sold year in year out, Kate knows too that her customers share her love of pets. Stocking cards supporting Battersea Dogs and Cats Home was an easy decision for Kate personally and Kate expects that the new Charity Cards ranges supporting Battersea will go down well with her customers too.
Charity Cards add another dimension to the ever growing greeting card ranges in stock at Love Kate’s. With so many good causes to choose from, Kate really hopes that giving cards will be an even bigger hit with customers this year.
So why does Kate think Charity Cards sell so well at Christmas?
“Many of our regular customers buy lots of cards at once. They might start with a special keepsake card for someone special, their husband, wife, or Mum and Dad; then they go onto more individual cards, for their friends. This is where the Charity Card Packs come in. Packs of Christmas cards are great value and customers definitely welcome that, but picking a charity pack - that includes a contribution to a good cause - allows them to give a little back at Christmas – our customers like that.”
Interesting Fact | UK Charities have annual income of over £68bn per year.We hope you’ve enjoyed Kate’s selection of Charity Cards for Christmas and that you agree with Kate that Christmas is the time to reach out to people you love more than at any other time of the year. As Kate says:
“Sending cards is at the heart of our society, and, even in this techy social media age, taking the time to select a Christmas card, and writing a personal message yourself is important. For me, if you can say Happy Christmas and, along the way, help someone in need then that’s even better.”
Interesting Fact | The big UK charities, Cancer Research, Oxfam and the RSPCA have annual income of in excess of £10 million.You can check the registered status of charities supported on our Charity Card Packs and check the registered charity numbers online at www.charity-commission.gov.uk in England and Wales and www.oscr.org.uk in Scotland.
Source: www.cafonline.org/docs/default-source/about-us-publications/caf-ukgiving2014
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