“Every donation gets a boost with Gift Aid, at no extra cost to the giver,” says Marc Yarrow of Guild Care. “Highlighting Gift Aid Awareness this October gives us a chance to thank everyone who has donated or fundraised for Guild Care and show what a difference the extra Gift Aid money makes to the many local people we support.”

If you’re a taxpayer and tick the box for Gift Aid when you buy from a charity shop, donate items for resale, or give money to a charitable cause, the government adds an extra 25% to your donation to benefit your chosen charity. It doesn’t cost you a penny more but can make a huge impact on people in need who rely on charity services.

Gift Aid is worth around £1.6bn a year to UK charities and is a vital source of their income. It’s a huge amount but could be even more. According to the Charity Finance Group, around £560m goes unclaimed every year. If every eligible donor ‘ticks the box’, they’ll be supporting charities with no extra cost to themselves.

Marc Yarrow adds, “It really can make an incredible difference – for every £1 you donate, we can claim an extra 25p and that all adds up to better-funded services for the people Guild Care supports each year and helping to reduce social isolation and social stigma.

“This Gift Aid Awareness month we’d like everyone who donates items to our charity stores, or buys from any of Guild Care’s shops, to simply ‘tick the box’. You’ll be lending an extra helping hand to older people, people living with dementia and children and adults with learning disabilities. Together we can close the Gift Aid gap!”

A £20 donation to Guild Care could pay for an older person, who’s struggling after the death of a loved one, to attend a ‘moving on from loss’ support group. Ticking the Gift Aid box means your donation could be worth £25. A £5 donation, which is worth £6.25 with Gift Aid, could help pay for art supplies for our Creating Connections service for older people who feel socially isolated.

Guild Care is highlighting Gift Aid awareness throughout October across all their charity shops and superstores. Gift Aid Awareness Day itself will be on 3^rd October and is coordinated by the Charity Finance Group which is registered with the Fundraising Regulator.

As Worthing’s leading social care charity, Guild Care supports more than 3,000 people every year and believes no one should feel isolated. To donate to Guild Care, visit Donate to Guild Care | Guild Care. Or for more information on their varied services, shops, and fundraising events, visit Worthing's leading social care charity | Guild Care.