The Art of Giving

It’s quite possible that you may have had a pre-Christmas clear out – finally getting those things that you’d been meaning to drop off to the charity shop, or take to the tip, out of the way to make space for the Christmas tree and the extra chairs needed to get Great Aunt Mabel and Great Uncle Bill a prime spot at the table. Felt good having that space back didn’t it?

Spring may still be a little way away, but getting a head start on some seasonal cleaning and decluttering could help shift some of the January blues or even the post festive pounds (the scales are not my friend at the moment…!)

Donating items to charity brings many benefits:

• You have extra space in your house/shed/garage;
• Volunteers have opportunities to develop a wide range of skills as they process your donation;
• The charity can generate valuable funds from selling your items;
• You are making a positive impact on our environment by supporting reuse and recycling of items that may otherwise have gone to landfill;
• You feel better for having less ‘stuff’ around the place!

The things you give to charity aren’t limited to clothes or pots and pans! We have a number of superb charity and voluntary organisations here in Pembrokeshire who can make use of just about anything you may wish to give away. From furniture to fabrics, tyres to teddies, and sheds to shoes, there will be places that can help you recycle and repurpose items and many of them can even come and collect the more bulky things from you too.

Of course, donations don’t have to be limited to things. If you’re able to spare a few pounds a month, that can go a long way in supporting the activities and services of your chosen charity (even further if you can gift aid it!), or maybe you’ve got a few spare hours a month that you can give by volunteering. If you’re not sure where to start when it comes to volunteering, get in touch with the Volunteering for Pembrokeshire team, or have a chat with a group or organisation you’re interested in.

In our next post, we’ll be taking a closer look at volunteering and the various opportunities it offers, and finding out more about Payroll Giving and Gift Aid.