Tue 10 Jan 2023 | by Rob Hutchins

The Wombles partners with Age UK to drive pre-loved donations in 2023

The original ambassadors of upcycling and sustainability, The Wombles are kick-starting a new partnership with Age UK by encouraging people to donate any unwanted Christmas gifts to the UK charity this New Year. The campaign is a part of a year-long partnership between the two, throughout which The Wombles will actively encourage the public to use Age UK’s high street charity shops as local recycling centres. Together, The Wombles and Age UK hope to ‘inspire people to adopt positive behaviour, whether that’s by recycling their unwanted items and donating them to Age UK shops, or by reusing pre-loved items purchased from the charity’s shops.’ Age UK’s strong of high street charity shops are a crucial part of the charity’s support for older people. Age UK also offers a free and confidential national Advice Line and Telephone Friendship Service. Meanwhile, the items donated to its shops are sold on to be loved again, both raising funds for the charity and helping to reduce waste and landfill. The partnership is kicking off this month with its drive to recycle unwanted Christmas presents by donating them to the charity. Research has found that each year, Brits receive an average of two unwanted Christmas presents each. This equates to more than 119.5 million gifts that miss the mark each year. Of these, approximately 22.7 million are sent to landfill. In a post on social media, The Wombles brand – which celebrates its 50^th anniversary this February – said: “So, instead of letting that book you’ve already read or that novelty jumper you’ll never wear again gather dust in the loft, why not donate them to Age UK where they will be sold on to be loved again.”