Charity Christmas card fundraiser
408. Sue Green
An Ealing resident who founded the Ealing Charity Christmas card shop 30 years ago that has sold an estimated five million cards raising over £500,000 for more than 100 charities.
Sue Green inspires around 100 volunteers each year to staff the shop for the 8 weeks it’s open over the festive period, with 100% of sales going towards charity. Last year it raised a total of over £28,000 for 30 different charities and this year the shop’s opening week raised £1,500.
Sue, 65, set up the shop with her friend Pat Harvey in 1985. The idea came to them when faced with the challenge of taking their five children under five to the nearest charity card shop in Hammersmith. The thought of negotiating the Tube with two double buggies was enough to inspire them to set about starting a charity card shop locally — just as Sue’s mother had done in Norwich 50 years ago. Since 1985 the Ealing shop has supported well over 100 charities – helping causes close to the hearts of the volunteers.
Steve Pound, MP, Rupa Huq MP, John Sergeant, TV presenter and Mayor Councillor Dheer opened the charity shop this year. The shop will be open Monday to Saturday from 10am to 5pm until December 19th. Another highlight for Sue is the annual thank you party in January when she brings together all of the volunteers, seeing the friendships forged during the course of the time the shop is open.
Prime Minister David Cameron said:
“Thanks to Sue’s hard work and dedication the Ealing Charity Christmas Card Shop has become a local institution. Together with the huge number of volunteers she has inspired to support the shop, Sue has raised a fantastic amount of money for dozens of charities. I am delighted to recognise Sue as the UK’s 408th Point of Light and I hope the shop’s 30th year is its most successful yet.”
Sue said:
“I’m delighted to have received this award, but I couldn’t have done it without the help of the two hundred volunteers who’ve worked tirelessly to make the shop happen every year. I’ve always been a strong believer in sending charity cards at Christmas and the shop has enabled many others who feel the same to do so locally — without needing to negotiate public transport – double buggies or not! “We stock cards for many of the big charities, but I’m always really thrilled to be asked to sell cards for smaller, local charities, who find it harder to raise money and we can see our efforts really make a difference in the local community.”