Manchester is first UK city to take part in the #GivingTuesday movement.
The “Manchester Gives More” initiative is a call-to-action to everyone to give something back to the city on 1 December 2015 – straight after the sales bonanza of Black Friday and Cyber Monday.
Manchester City Council, the University of Manchester, Manchester Chambers of Commerce, the Royal Exchange Theatre and homeless charity Barnabus are among the organisations taking part.
#GivingTuesday, which originally launched in the US in 2012, is being led in the UK by the Charities Aid Foundation. It is an opportunity for people and businesses to give time, money or their voice to a good cause. There are more than 1,300 charities, businesses and organisations involved across the UK.
The campaign is supported by a wide range of celebrities and sports stars, including Olympic gold medallist Hannah Cockcroft, Downton’s Joanna Froggatt, former Dr Who David Tennant, and presenter Dan Snow.
Last year – the first year it came to the UK – #GivingTuesday was endorsed by the Prime Minister and celebrities such as Dame Helen Mirren, and led to a spike in charitable donations.
People in Manchester are being encouraged to support a local cause they care about, for example by supporting organisations which help address the underlying reasons why people have become homeless.
Manchester City Council, Manchester Community Central, the University of Manchester, Manchester Chambers of Commerce and the Royal Exchange are some of the organisations involved in putting on events for this year’s #GivingTuesday.
Councillor Sue Murphy, Deputy Leader of Manchester City Council, said:
“The Council is proud to support Manchester Gives More. We will be promoting the day using our communications channels and encouraging our staff to sign up to ‘pennies from payroll’ so they can donate little and often to good causes which are making a difference in Manchester. #GivingTuesday is being led in the UK by the Charities Aid Foundation (CAF). It now has more than 1,100 charities and business signed up as partners.
Kim Roberts, Campaigns Manager for #GivingTuesday in the UK, said:
“It is very exciting that Manchester has chosen to lead the way and become the first city to take part in the #GivingTuesday campaign.
“The Manchester Gives More initiative is a great opportunity for everyone to work together to support local causes and demonstrate what we already know that Mancunians are hugely generous and giving people.”
