Growing list of care homes seeking publisher partners for festive card-writing initiative
There’ll be flag waving at the GCA AGM & Conference on Thursday, 19 September, as the greetings industry gears up for the 2024 Caring At Christmas campaign.
Almost 100 care homes and care home groups have come forward already saying they’re looking for card publishers to partner with for this year’s Caring At Christmas card writing initiative, many of which have already completed a questionnaire with their full details meaning they are ready to be paired up with someone from the greeting card community.
There will be a map of the UK that’ll be on show at the conference at Bristol’s Harbour View Hotel so attendees can commit to and add their flag, committing to run a Christmas card-writing event.
Matt Genower, Five Dollar Shake’s co-owner and MD, is the brains behind the scheme that launched last year with great success, bringing rewards to all those who participated.
Determined to expand this wonderful initiative this year, Matt tapped into a Care Home Activity Organiser Facebook group, which has over 16,000 members, posting a message about the Caring At Christmas initiative, asking anyone interested to get in touch with Adriana Lovesy at the GCA.
“It is still early days but, already, almost 100 care homes and care home groups have been in touch, keen to instigate Christmas card-writing events in their locations,” Matt told PG Buzz.
“As anyone who participated last year will tell you, this is such a rewarding experience both for the care home residents as well as those from the greeting card community who made contact with the homes. The idea now is to broaden it to as many care homes as possible.”
Since Matt’s Facebook call-out, 21 of the care homes who got in touch have given full details to Adriana, include ones in Drumahoe, Crewkerne, Barnsley, Wymondham, Halesowen, Maidstone, Johnstone, Beckenham, Macclesfield, Higham Ferrers, Liverpool, Esher, Bicester, Newport, Skipton, Houghton-Le-Spring, Holmer, Isleworth and Clifton Upon Dunsmore, with many others expected to follow.
And the GCA would love to hear from other care homes that want to take part, publishers willing to visit any of these, as well as those who are happy to organise their own visits to local homes – plus any publishers willing to donate Christmas cards so a variety can be offered to the residents.
“The map will be up at the conference,” said GCA membership and marketing manager Adriana, “and we’d love as many people as possible to commit to taking part this year.”
The Caring At Christmas initiative is just one strand of the GCA’s #Cardmitment campaign which also includes Festive Friday, the event designed to get Christmas card sending off with a bang – which falls on 29 November this year.
