Leading independent pharmacy chain Well Pharmacy has partnered with Pennies, the award-winning micro-donation charity, and Trust Retail, part of the Trust Payments Group, to help encourage charitable donations when paying in cashless ways – as Well officially launches micro-donations in-store this Random Acts of Kindness Day (17th February).
The move comes in a boost to colleague and corporate fundraising in aid of Mind. Customers are now being offered the chance to donate 9p on top of their purchase when making a payment by card or digital wallet. These funds, which will be processed by Trust Payments in conjunction with Pennies, will help support the mental health charity Mind to run services including the Mind Infoline, legal line, and online community, Side by Side.
The Well partnership with Mind was launched in May last year as part of Well Pharmacy’s Culture Code commitment, and selected stores have been encouraging customers to donate since December. So far, over 50,000 donations have been received.
The pandemic has had a devastating impact on the nation’s mental health, and the current cost of living crisis is adding further toll. More people than ever are experiencing a mental health problem and need support from Mind.
To mark the official launch, Well will be supported by Pennies and Trust Retail who will match the totals donated by customers using cashless payments on Random Acts of Kindness Day.
Alison Hutchinson CBE, CEO Pennies said:
“We are excited to welcome Well Pharmacy to the micro-donation movement, and we know their customers generosity will make a big difference to Mind, a charity working tirelessly to ensure everyone experiencing a mental health problem gets support and respect.
“Micro-donations through Pennies have been accelerating over the last two years with record numbers of retailers starting to offer their customers the choice to give back in an easy and affordable way. Despite the increase in everyday costs such as rises in energy, food and fuel costs, the UK public continues to demonstrate its generosity – and preference – for giving ‘small and often’ and when they choose. Micro-donations matter as lifeblood for the UK charity sector, now more than ever.”
Seb Hobbs, CEO, Well Pharmacy said:
“We are delighted to be able to offer this new way of donating, which is a simple approach and can make all the difference to such a vital charity.
“With one in four of us experiencing a mental health problem every year, we know how important it is to keep raising money for Mind. We are very proud of our charity partnership and working with Pennies will play an important part in that partnership.”
Daniel Holden, Group CEO, Trust Payments said:
“At Trust Payments, we strive to build a better, more sustainable tomorrow by helping businesses drive social and environmental change. This partnership with Pennies and Well is a great step forwards in helping to make it seamless for customers to play their part with frictionless donations to the worthwhile causes that Mind supports. We look forward to helping Well reach its fundraising targets and expanding this technology across our Trust Retail portfolio.”
Pennies has estimated that micro-donations present an ambitious but achievable opportunity to inject an annual £1bn into the UK charity sector – if every UK card holder gave just 35p a week.
In total, the fintech charity has enabled over 158 million micro-donations, raising over £39million in vital additional income for charities in the UK, Northern Ireland, and Republic of Ireland.
Notes to Editors
About Pennies
Whether in-store, online and in-app, it’s a simple, affordable, data-free way to donate, with 100% of funds raised going to charity. Pennies works with over 70 of the UKs biggest brands including Domino’s, Curry’s, Greene King, Screwfix, Poundland, The Entertainer, Boots Opticians, JD Sports, Travelodge, Ask Italian, Zizzi, and hundreds of roadside retail outlets.
Together, payment technology providers, retailers and their customers are helping hundreds of charities make a meaningful difference to the causes and communities they serve. www.pennies.org.uk.
About Well Pharmacy
Well have been offering pharmacy services for over 70 years to communities across the UK.
We are the third largest pharmacy in the UK, employing nearly 7,000 people and providing over 72million prescriptions each year across our 750 pharmacies. Our pharmacists can provide advice on getting the best from medicines and general healthcare, as well as treating minor ailments and offering a range of health and wellbeing products – all without having to make an appointment.
In addition to our pharmacies, we give customers choice, with our online service for those who want the convenience of having their repeat prescriptions delivered direct to their home – available online or as an Apple (IOS) or Android app. We also offer a range of healthcare items for sale via our online pharmacy: shop.well.co.uk Items are available for home delivery with a one off £4 delivery charge.
Our Bestway Med hub subsidiary provides a wholesaling service for independent pharmacies, and our Wardles subsidiary provides non-medicines (e.g., medical consumables such as bandages and dressings).
The Well operation is supported by our Healthcare Service Centre in Stoke-on-Trent, sending out around 90 million stock items to our pharmacies each year. This semi-automated warehouse and distribution centre allows us to use a hub-and-spoke model for prescriptions. This means some items are assembled centrally and sent to pharmacies to handout out to their patients. https://well.co.uk/
About Mind
Mind, the mental health charity, provide advice and support to empower anyone experiencing a mental health problem. They campaign to improve services, raise awareness and promote understanding. They won’t give up until everyone experiencing a mental health problem gets both support and respect. mind.org.uk
Mind has a confidential information and support line, Mind Infoline, available on 0300 123 3393 (lines open 9am – 6pm, Monday – Friday)
Mind’s online mental health community Side by Side is a safe space where anyone aged 18 and over with experience of a mental health problem can share their story, connect with others, access Mind’s wider information and resources, and give support in return. Find out more at www.sidebyside.mind.org.uk.
About Trust Payments
Trust Payments is a leader in fintech powering truly innovative customer commerce solutions. We provide on-demand Payments and Commerce services to help businesses grow and scale online, in-store, and on mobile. Trust Payments combines these omnichannel services with powerful tools, such as retail operations technology, loyalty management and instant eCommerce. We are constantly engaging new innovative payments methods in crypto and bank transfers to drive Converged Commerce™.
Trust Payments has a global footprint, with over 600 people across 12 offices supporting the most demanding business sectors – from retail, travel and hospitality to crypto, gaming, and financial services. We have an acquiring network of over 50 global banks and hundreds of alternative payment methods, holding Visa and Mastercard Principal Memberships in the EU for cross-border business. The business is licenced by both the Malta Financial Services Authority and the UK Financial Conduct Authority and holds licences in 6 US States to carry out regulated payments in gaming. Find out more at www.trustpayments.com.
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