West Midlanders embrace ‘Yuleanthropy’ this Christmas

Forget sexy knickers, West Midlands women want ethical presents this Christmas

This year, despite the threat of a ‘credit crunch Christmas’, generous West Midlanders are keen to support charity through ethical giving. More than 10% of us would like to receive an ethical gift, according to research by Present Aid (www.presentaid.org); this enthusiasm for ethical giving has coined a new phrase known as ‘Yuleanthropy’.

But the West Midlands is behind the national average when it comes to buying ethical gifts, with 9% saying they give ethically compared to 15% nationally and up to 19% in London. Despite this, 23% of people from the West Midlanders who buy ethically do so because it makes them feel uplifted and a further 21% feel that charity gifts make recipients most happy, which is significantly higher than the national average of 16%.

Women in the West Midlands appear to be more charitable than their male counterparts as 20 per cent said they would buy a loved one an ethical gift, compared to 10 per cent of men. The same number of women said they would like to find an ethical gift under their Christmas tree as much as they would like to receive sexy lingerie.

Although gadgets (57 per cent), perfume (51 per cent) and jewellery (49 per cent) form the bulk of traditional gifts bought at Christmas across the UK, many Britons are clearly getting tired of receiving the same old presents and the research revealed 52 per cent of people in the UK believe that ‘Yuleanthropists’ are thoughtful human beings.

The super rich such as Bill Gates, Elton John, Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie are leading the way in philanthropy and many Brits are following their example using Christmas gift giving as a way to show their own ‘Yuleanthropic’ side. The UK’s ethical market is growing year on year and was valued last December at £32.2bn*. Almost a quarter of people surveyed (22 per cent) want to make a real difference with their gifts.

The proceeds from Present Aid gifts go to support Christian Aid’s work with some of the world’s poorest communities in over 50 countries.

Eastenders actress Kara Tointon, travelled to Zambia where she saw firsthand the difference that giving an ethical gift can make. Kara said: “When I went to Zambia one of the things that really struck me was the amount of children who didn’t have shoes, it’s so dangerous walking bare feet. That’s why I’m going to be buying the school shoes gift this Christmas, it’s a great gift for friends and family and I know that it’s going to make a real difference to people who need it.”

British model Daisy Lowe recently travelled to Brazil with Christian Aid and is encouraging shoppers to buy a painting kit for women as an ideal ethical gift for people to give for Christmas. Daisy said: “When I went to Brazil I saw how important it was to give women who are struggling to survive a skill which they can then use to earn money with. The painting kit available through Present Aid is amazing as it gives women the chance to support their families by painting traditional advertising signs.”

Actor Damian Lewis, who travelled to Bolivia with Christian Aid, selected a community tap as his ethical gift: “We all think of water as a basic human right. I saw for myself when I travelled to Bolivia that some families have to dig water out of the ground which is filthy. So the idea of a community tap in Christian Aid’s Present Aid initiative would make a brilliant Christmas present. £45 to provide the pump, pipes and tap stand to bring fresh water to a village is money well spent.”

Christian Aid International Director Paul Valentin said: “We have identified a UK phenomenon called Yuleanthropy where people want to give something back to those less fortunate than themselves at Christmas. Present Aid is a fantastic way of doing this as it makes a significant and permanent difference to people’s lives.”

However, despite our ‘Yuleanthropic’ nature, many of the adults in the UK who celebrate Christmas will be tightening their belts this year. Women are more cautious, with 52 per cent planning to spend less on presents because of the credit crunch compared to only 38 per cent of men. Least worried by Christmas credit crunch blues is the younger generation with only 30 per cent of 18 to 24 year olds spending less on presents for loved ones this year.

Present Aid gift prices start at just £8 and the deadline for Christmas Present Aid purchases is 15 December. Log on to www.presentaid.org or call 0845 3300 500 for a catalogue.