St Wilfrid's Hospice Chichester: A small tick that makes a big difference

Every bag of clothes, every unwanted book and every pre-loved treasure donated to a St Wilfrid’s Hospice shop helps support local people living with a life-limiting illness and their families. But there's one simple step supporters can take that makes those donations go even further, without costing them a penny more: Gift Aid.

Many people are surprised to learn that when they sign up to Gift Aid on goods donated to a charity shop, the charity can claim an extra 25% from HMRC on the value of the sale. In simple terms, for every £10 raised through the sale of donated items, St Wilfrid’s Hospice can receive an additional £2.50 through Gift Aid. And crucially, it costs the donor nothing extra.

For hospices like ours, those extra pennies add up to thousands of pounds each year. Money that helps fund specialist end-of-life care, emotional support, bereavement services and so much more for local families when they need it most.

A simple process with significant impact

When you donate items to one of our shops, we'll ask whether you're a UK taxpayer and would like to Gift Aid your donations. If you agree, we'll sell your donated items on your behalf and, once they're sold, treat the proceeds as a donation to the Hospice. This allows us to claim the additional 25% from HMRC*.

If a donated bag of clothing raises £40 when sold in one of our shops, through Gift Aid, that £40 could become £50 for the Hospice. Across hundreds and thousands of donations every year, that additional income helps us continue to provide expert care free-of-charge to local people and their loved ones.

No cost to you

One of the biggest misconceptions about Gift Aid is that donors somehow have to pay extra. They don't.

Gift Aid is a government scheme that enables registered charities to reclaim tax already paid by eligible UK taxpayers. As long as you've paid enough Income Tax or Capital Gains Tax during the tax year, the Hospice can claim the extra amount at no additional cost to you*.

In fact, it's one of the easiest ways to increase the value of your support without spending an extra penny.

The difference we can make together

Every donation, volunteer hour and purchase made in our shops plays a part in supporting local people living with a life-limiting illness and their families. Gift Aid is another simple way that, together, we can make an even greater difference.

By simply saying "yes" to Gift Aid when donating your items, you're helping us make every donation worth more, providing vital funding that enables us to continue caring for local people when they need us most.

Next time you drop off a bag of donations, please remember: a quick form and a simple tick in the box could increase the value of your gift by 25%.

To view our shop locations please visit www.stwh.co.uk/shop

* https://www.gov.uk/donating-to-charity/gift-aid