A carers’ charity and a housing association are set to share how they have used a community-focused gift card to support people and families in a webinar this week.

Leanne Briggs, short breaks broker at Dundee Carers, and Laura Cuthbertson, senior housing officer at Cernach Housing Association, are among the speakers at a webinar highlighting the benefits of the Scotland Loves Local Gift Card.

The 30-minute lunchtime webinar, The Local Revolution: Connecting with communities using the Scotland Loves Local Gift Card, takes place on Wednesday October 25. Speakers will explain how they have used the gift card to support residents with dignity during the cost of living crisis, offer choice and flexibility for their service users, and support local businesses.

The Scotland Loves Local Gift Card is an extension of Scotland Loves Local, a drive spearheaded by Scotland’s Towns Partnership, which aims to encourage people to build stronger communities. The card can only be used in the region for which it is branded, bringing money into the local economy.

“By embracing the Scotland Loves Local Gift Card, organisations of all kinds have been able to help families at a critical time, but also help sustain local businesses and jobs, making their communities better,” said Nicola Hutchinson, Scotland Loves Local lead at Scotland’s Towns Partnership.

The webinar is being hosted by gift card company Miconex. Managing director Colin Munro said: “In our August 2023 research, 96% of charities and non-profit organisations say they have changed some aspect of their support for service users post pandemic. 73% say offering choice for service users is integral to support and 81% are choosing local gift cards to support their community.”