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A royal good time in Windsor – Hotel review

By Courtney Greatrex  If you're hoping for a winter getaway, you don't have to look too far. Last month, I visited Windsor, the perfect destination for a weekend trip. Regardless of the dreary weather, Windsor feels like an exciting place, with plenty of quirky shops and places to eat and...

Rita Simmons, appeared at the Zeek Cash or Kind swap shop in Westfield, Stratford today helping shoppers swap unwanted gift cards for cash or donate the value to The Childrens Trust.

Eastenders’ Rita Simons swaps Albert Square for Westfield to launch swap-shop for unwanted gift cards.

•	Zeek’s ‘Cash or Kind’ store at Westfield Stratford allows members of the public to swap unwanted gift cards for cash to keep or donate the value to charity
•	47% of Brits admit they have received an unwanted gift card or voucher, with  £300million wasted every year 

Today, former Eastenders star Rita Simons swapped her market stall in Albert Square to launch a pop-up shop in Westfield, Stratford. The shop allows members of the public to exchange their unwanted gift cards for cash or donate the value to The Children’s Trust, a leading charity for children suffering from brain injury. 

The swap-shop, open for one day only, was set up by Europe’s biggest gift card marketplace, Zeek, in response to new research showing that 47% of Brits have at one time received an unwanted gift card or voucher, with an estimated £300million of unused credit in the UK every year.

The vast majority of unwanted items will be re-sold (23%) or re-gifted (33%), however one in seven (14%) will never see the light of day, gathering dust in drawers or even being relegated to the bin.

The gift card swap shop comes at the perfect time of year as, contrary to widespread belief, the most popular week for returning unwanted items is the second week of January, with 15% choosing to wait until the festivities have died down before hitting the high street. A sizeable 70% of us even went as far as to say they actively avoid the shops between Boxing Day and the New Year with half of us citing crowds as a reason to avoid the high street. 

Rita Simons, who exited the popular BBC soap in an explosive storyline over New Year, opened the shop, as eager shoppers got ready to exchange their unwanted gift

London gift voucher swap shop launched

A gift voucher swap shop has been launched in Westfield Stratford which allows members of the public to exchange their unwanted gift cards for cash or a charity donation. Brits are parting with a massive £300 million a year in unused gift card and voucher credit, new research has found, with 47 per...

When grassroots charities fail, we are the greatest losers

Everyone has a view on charities. Whether you see them as saviours, sinners or something in-between, it is most likely that your opinions have been shaped by a mix of big budget fundraising campaigns and shock-factor press coverage. However, in reality most of the stories we’re exposed to involve just...

£159,990 cash seized from criminal gang who laundered large amounts of cash through two businesses that were allegedly selling alcohol outside the UK. See SWNS story SWCASH; A gang have been jailed after they were caught red handed with bundles of dirty cash - from selling £15 million of illegal alcohol. The four criminals were found by HM Revenue and Customs to be running two businesses selling alcohol in Britain without paying exercise duty and VAT. An investigation into Eurolink Trading Ltd and Saffire Trading Ltd showed £15 million was made from illegal sales, transferring the proceeds into the bank account of a company which has ceased trading. All four gang members were charged with proceeds of crime offences linked to alcohol fraud, found guilty and jailed for a total of 19 years after an eight-week trial at Southwark Crown Court on Friday.

This is why you don’t brag about dealing drugs

A 20-year-old has been sentenced after pleading guilty to supplying cocaine and heroin - after he posted pictures of himself holding wads of cash. Mohamed Bazi was given a 24 month prison sentence suspended for 24 months and ordered to carry out 200 hours of unpaid work. Police conducted a...

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