Published at 11:09, Wednesday, 20 February 2013

A LAKE District shop is gearing itself up for a month-long charity effort.

Rohan in Ambleside is running a Gift Your Gear initiative during the month of March, which aims to enable people to benefit from life-changing experiences in the great outdoors, regardless of their circumstances.

Manager Paul Russell says: “We are encouraging people to bring any unwanted, but usable, outdoor trousers, jackets and fleeces into the shop.

"These will then be donated to local community organisations, youth groups and charities for outdoor projects.”

The shop, on Market Cross, will take outdoor gear of any brand and, as an incentive for local people to get involved in "gifting their gear", it is offering a 15 per cent discount off all purchases made on the day.

Mr Russell said: “The last time we ran Gift Your Gear we got a fantastic response, with nearly 6,000 garments being donated to our stores nationwide.

"This year we are inviting people to nominate themselves or their organisation for the outdoor gear.

"It could be a local scout troop; someone who is going off on a solo fundraising effort to climb Kilimanjaro; perhaps a community group in their local area.

"We will welcome all suggestions from anyone who thinks they can benefit from the outdoor gear.

“All people have to do is email me at GYG@havasww.com telling me why they want the gear. The Rohan team here will assess all the applications and support as many as we can.

"And of course, the more people who donate, the more people we can help.”

Gift Your Gear was set up by Rohan’s founder, Sarah Howcroft, who says it is a great way for people to give something back.

“Our shops are at the heart of the communities from where they draw their customers and their colleagues and we are delighted that Gift Your Gear helps so many local causes.

"All outdoor gear donated is reused for its original purpose; it is not traded, recycled or sent to landfill.

“Not only is the useful life of the clothing extended, but another person gets to experience the joy of good gear.

"I am sure that the people of Ambleside will get right behind it and by the end of March we will have a mountain of trousers, fleeces and jackets to donate."

Published by http://www.nwemail.co.uk