Scotland Loves Local Glasgow Gift Card

Last year a major project saw almost 85,000 Scotland Loves Local Glasgow Gift Cards, worth £105 each, distributed to eligible households in the Glasgow City Council area. The initiative helped support low-income households during the cost of living crisis while also assisting city businesses with their recovery following the pandemic.

The Scotland Loves Local campaign encourages people to think local first and support businesses on their local high streets. Scotland Loves Local Glasgow Gift Cards can only be spent in Glasgow with businesses that are signed up to the initiative. As part of the project, Glasgow businesses were encouraged to register to accept the card, with over 950 local businesses of all sizes signing up.

Economic Development and colleagues from across the Council worked with Scotland’s Towns Partnership, the organisation behind the wider Scotland Loves Local campaign, and gift card provider Miconex on the campaign. The cards were distributed to homes across the city during August 2022, attracting significant media interest.

As part of an extensive communications and engagement campaign, a mailshot was sent to the 85,000 eligible households ahead of them receiving their cards. A new section was also created on the council website and CBS staff were trained how to support people with queries. This was supported by a major awareness-raising drive through PR, social media and an advertising campaign.

Funding for the project came from a £9.45m Covid Economic Recovery Funding package awarded to the Council by the Scottish Government.