From volunteering your time, ditching plastic and shopping at independent stores, there are lots of ways you can do good in Gloucestershire.
With this helpful hot list, you can pick and choose a good deed or two to really make a difference in the county.
1. Fundraise for Hope for Tomorrow
It costs just £198 to fund a mobile cancer care unit for one day. Fundraising for Hope for Tomorrow goes a long way and there’s plenty you can do to get involved. Whether you decide to become a regular benefactor, host a fundraising event or take part in a sponsored run, there are various ways to help.
There’s even the opportunity to tick off something on your bucket list in 2021, with Hope for Tomorrow’s ‘challenge events’ including wing walking and skydiving – great for the adrenaline junkies out there.
2. Buy from independent Gloucestershire businesses
Now more than ever, it’s so important to show support for local, independent businesses. Whether you swap the supermarket for your local grocery store or opt for an independent restaurant over a chain, there are plenty of simple ways you can help Gloucestershire’s independents.
Check out 11 independent businesses to support in Gloucestershire for more inspiration.
3. Swap to eco-friendly products in Gloucestershire
Making simple swaps is a vital way to reduce your carbon footprint and have a positive impact on the environment.
In Gloucestershire, there are some fantastic eco-friendly businesses, from organic clothing shops to zero-waste pantries. See 8 independent eco-friendly businesses in Gloucestershire for SoGlos’s round up.
4. Join a litter picking group in Gloucestershire
Another way you can help the local environment is by getting stuck in with some litter picking. While you don’t need to join an official group to play your part, there are also lots of volunteering opportunities available across Gloucestershire.
Cheltenham Litter Picksies is a group that tackles littering in Benhall, Oakley, Prestbury, Pittville, St Paul’s, St Peter’s, the Moors, Springbank and St Mark’s, while Tidy Dursley focuses on tidying up local walking routes – including the Cotswold Way, which regularly brings walkers through the small town.
5. Donate to a Gloucestershire charity shop
Channel your inner Marie Kondo and commit to a big sort out of old clothes and unloved homeware pieces, donating the things you no longer want or need to one of Gloucestershire’s many charity shops.
Not only will others in the community benefit from your generosity, but it promotes sustainable shopping too.
6. Volunteer your time in Gloucestershire
From nurturing wildlife to getting behind the mic at hospital radio, volunteering is a great way to give something back to the local community.
See SoGlos’s selection of 14 places to volunteer in Gloucestershire for inspiration.
7. Leave your car at home in Gloucestershire
With stunning countryside on your doorstep, why not soak up some of Gloucestershire’s natural beauty by walking or cycling to work? Many independent bike shops, like Cheltenham Cycles and Gloucester’s Eastgate Cycles, support Cyclescheme, giving riders a discount on bikes for their commute.
Gloucestershire also benefits from great public transport links, with Stagecoach West offering low-cost travel across the county and beyond – and plenty of Park and Rides options.
8. Use less plastic in Gloucestershire
While the ban on single use plastic drinking straws in the UK is great news, most of us can still do more to reduce our plastic consumption.
The good news is there are lots of simple things you can do to make a difference – whether that’s stocking up at a plastic-free shop, like Loose Plastic Free in Stroud or Cheltenham’s Food Loose, making more of an effort to remember your reusable shopping bags, or ditching cling film in favour of a recyclable alternative.
9. Cut down on meat in Gloucestershire
Even if you’re a committed carnivore, reducing your own personal meat consumption can make a big difference to the environment – effecting climate change, as well as landscape and waterway pollution.
And with plenty of Gloucestershire restaurants and cafes now serving up delicious vegan food, incorporating a few meat-free days into your week can be more of a treat than a challenge! Check out SoGlos’s pick of 18 tasty vegan menus in Gloucestershire for your next dinner date – and give the local economy a boost, too.
By Annabel Lammas
