As my first Christmas in the blogosphere I’m going to be sharing tips and recipes for a vegetarian and vegan Christmas all month long. As I’ve been focusing on ethical shopping lately, I also thought it would be nice to share a few little ideas for supporting some great charities this Xmas.
Now typically the words “charity gift” may make you think of sponsoring an animal/child/tree on behalf of your loved ones (and many of them are). Whilst there is definitely a place for these and they can go along way to support a charity’s work, I wanted to highlight some imaginative ways of giving this Christmas that (hopefully) may give you some interesting ideas for unique and special charity gifts:
The Book of Everyone
Did you know…You share 50% of your DNA with a banana? Which famous historical event you share your birthday with? What the number one single was the week you were born? (For me it was Move Closer by Phyllis Nelson.)
*PR Sample
The Book of Everyone is a unique gift that can be customised for anyone in your life; a book full of stunning artwork, glorious personalised facts and fun statistics. You can also add photos and your own quotes into the book making it truly personalised. For Christmas, The Book of Everyone have teamed up with the charity Age UK meaning that every book you buy it goes towards the “gifting” of a book for an elderly person who may not receive a gift.
To make The Book of Everyone as a gift for someone, all you need is their full name and date of birth. If you can’t remember their exact birth date, it has a nifty inbuilt Facebook feature that can help find the details for you.
The Book of Everyone is available via their website www.thebookofeveryone.com and is available in the following options: Digital £7.50, Paperback £19.50, Hardback £29.50 and Deluxe £49.50.
Good Day Out
Images kindly provided by Good Day Out
Have you ever dreamed of learning how to forage for your own food? Or wondered what it would be like to spend a morning with hedgehogs? (I hadn’t imagined the second one before but I am now.)
Good Day Out offer just that, good days out that: interesting, educational and fun ways for people to easily engage with good causes whilst the charities who benefit are helped to raise money for specific projects. The experience days also work to support rural communities in the UK by providing income for local people.
They also have a range of gifts in their online store all made by various artisan producers with a social conscience.
Good Day Out experiences start at just £2, largely in the Brecon Beacons but with more popping over the UK all the time. Find your experience on their website www.gooddayout.co.uk, gift vouchers are also available.
World Land Trust Art Gallery
Images kindly provided by the World Land Trust
Does the idea of buying original art seem a little, well, indulgent to you? What if you got to take home an original artwork by a renowned contemporary artists whilst also knowing that your purchase was going towards protecting threatened habitats around the world?
The World Land Trust uses its art gallery in Suffolk to do just that, with all profits going towards their vital conservation work. Specialising in wildlife and landscape art, the gallery showcases the work of local artists and those from further afield.
Artists who exhibit in the space can choose to either sell their paintings with commission going to the charity, or generously donate their artwork so that WLT receive the full sale price of the piece. Either way, you can know that the purchase has gone to supporting biodiversity and endangered species.
The World Land Trust’s gallery is available to browse online on their website www.worldlandtrust.org/gallery/artwork, starting from only £25 with pieces to match all budgets.
Are any charities that you support doing anything special this Christmas? Share your own charity gift recommendations in the comments!
