Miserly sums from charity cards

IF YOU sent or received charity Christmas cards this year, you should know that they might not do as much good as you’d hoped.

Sainsbury’s, Waitrose, WHSmith and Cards Galore are among stores giving just 10 pc of the cost of the cards to the charity named. If you buy a box of ten at £2.49, just 2.5p per card goes to a good cause. Others give slightly more. Aldi donates about 8p a card and Clintons 5p.

But the Greeting Card Association says Christmas cards raise £50 million for good causes annually, which wouldn’t be possible without the footfall from shoppers that High Street retailers provide.