In the Old Court House

The Cards For Good Causes Christmas shop is back in Chichester this pre-Christmas season with the invitation to “make Christmas mean more.”

It is now open and operating from the Old Court House on the ground floor of the Assembly Room building on North Street and will be run this year by Jane Haynes, Brad Thompson and Mark Elliott along with a team of local volunteers.

As Mark explains: “The shop gives customers the opportunity to choose from a wide range of charity Christmas cards, alongside traditional Advent calendars, gift wrap, stocking fillers, tree decorations and quirky seasonal gifts, with proceeds supporting charities and good causes.

“This year, Cards For Good Causes (CFGC) is encouraging shoppers to Make Christmas Mean More by celebrating the simple traditions that make Christmas special – from choosing a card and writing a personal message, to opening the doors of an Advent calendar or choosing a thoughtful gift for someone special.”

Mark added: “With higher-than-ever postage charges adding to a cost of living crisis, cards might not seem like a priority this year but it’s always wonderful to hear from people that you’ve not managed to see all year and Christmas cards are a classic way to connect. Some of the cards that we sell feature local scenes. There’s a nice one this year featuring carol singers at the Cross with Chichester Cathedral rising behind.”

“As well as supporting a wide range of national charities, the Chichester store offers cards that directly support local charities. These include The Sussex Snowdrop Trust (https://thesussexsnowdroptrust.com/) helping provide nursing care at home for local children who have a life-threatening or terminal illness, Petersfield-based Mosaic Middle East (https://mosaicmiddleeast.org/) supporting war-affected children in Iraq and beyond, The Aldingbourne Trust (https://www.aldingbournetrust.org/) helping adults with learning difficulties live fulfilling lives, and Bognor Based 4Sight (https://www.4sight.org.uk) empowering the blind and partially sighted. Supporting the latter makes it all the more relevant that this year the CFGC store offers an in-store Braille printing option to personalise festive messages in Braille.

“As well as supporting charities, a percentage of every purchase also benefits the Council House building, the shop’s historic venue and a veritable Chichester monument.”

Chichester’s Cards for Good Causes Christmas shop will be open this year each Monday to Saturday, 9.30am to 4.30pm until December 19.

It’s one of more than 120 seasonal Cards For Good Causes Christmas shops opening across the UK this Christmas, with all profits helping support Cards For Good Causes charity partners. An even wider Cards For Good Causes Christmas range is also available online at cardsforcharity.co.uk.

Cards for Good Causes is the UK’s largest multi-charity card and gift retailer supporting local and national good causes. It operates all year round as a charitable gifting website and also opens the doors of Christmas pop-up shops during the Christmas season.

2026 charities: Cards for Good Causes partners with various local and national charities each year. This year’s national charities include: ABF, The Soldiers’ Charity, Against Breast Cancer, Alzheimer's Society, Amnesty, Asthma + Lung UK, Barnardo's, British Heart Foundation, Bowel Cancer UK, Brain Tumour Research, Brain Tumour Research Campaign, Cancer Research UK, Carers UK, Cats Protection, Charlie Waller, Children’s Society, Crisis, Dementia UK, Diabetes UK, Embrace the Middle East, Epilepsy Action, GUTS, Help for Heroes, Hospice UK, League Against Cruel Sports, Lymphoma Action, Macular Society, Make A Wish UK, Marie Curie, Military Wives Choir, Mind, MND Association, MS Society UK, National Autistic Society, NSPCC, Perennial, Prostate Cancer UK, Ramblers, RNIB, RSPCA, Samaritans, SCOPE, Shelter, SSAFA, Terrence Higgins Trust, Together for Short Lives, Trussell, Versus Arthritis, WaterAid, WWF and Young Lives vs Cancer. We also support local charities through our network of pop-up shops.

A spokesman said: “We aim to source a range of quality, environmentally friendly, ethically sourced products. Our cards and envelopes are recyclable, glitter- and plastic-free, as well as being FSC certified. We also ensure that our cards are produced in the UK, and our providers have sustainable credentials too. Inks are all vegetable based.”