Back in 2019 we launched our fantastic myLakeland club that gives members a huge range of exclusive savings and hand-picked offers. We know how important it is to give something back, so whenever members shop with us, we add a few pennies to our Charity Pot that supports some amazing local and national charities. Nationally, we're proud to support Shelter who help people struggling with bad housing or homelessness; The Trussell Trust who support a nationwide network of foodbanks, and the Woodland Trust who protect woodland and aim to plant 50 million trees by 2025. Locally, we support a range of charities close to our Lake District base with the help of the Cumbria Community Foundation. Learn more about how our myLakeland Charity Pot has supported them at the bottom of this page. You can make a difference just by being a club member, so if you're in interested in joining, check out our myLakeland page here.
We regularly make contributions of both money and Lakeland products to organisations across the country, helping to make life just that little bit easier. We have recently supported Springfield, Lighthouse, Jigsaw, South Lakeland Citizens Advice and Men in Sheds - all worthwhile causes in the local area surrounding our head office and flagship store in Windermere.
It's more important than ever to reuse and recycle whatever we can, whenever we can - waste has a huge negative impact on our planet and we want to do our bit! We recycle cardboard, plastics and even the wood pallets from our Distribution Centre, and when we do, we generate more funds. Our colleagues across the country decide where this money goes and we spread it far and wide. In 2022 we donated over £40,000 from this fund, to 50 charities across the UK, nominated by individual colleagues.
Each year, we donate the money generated from our 10p carrier bag charge to an environmental cause. In 2024 we have supported Cumbria Wildlife Trust with a £20,000 donation. This will support the conservation of red squirrels. Once found all over the UK, they are now only seen in wooded areas in small parts of the UK (including the north of England). Made eternally popular through Beatrix Potter’s character Squirrel Nutkin – by working together we can ensure this much loved species is known by future generations. We have also supported the Scottish Wildlife Trust and Wildlife Trust of South and West Wales, to ensure that the proceeds from carrier bag sales in those nations, go towards good causes in that same nation.
As the saying goes, one man's junk is another man's treasure... Sometimes, products get returned that aren't in good enough condition to resell to other customers - but that doesn't mean they go to waste. Instead, we offer them to our colleagues, and money generated from these sales goes to support charitable and community needs. Recent beneficiaries include Cancer Care, The Well Communities, Blood Bikes, Air Ambulances and more.
When needs must, we have to pull together. Sometimes things happen that are out of anyone's control, and the impact can be devastating on families and communities alike. When Storm Desmond hit in 2015, we were able to contribute £25,000 directly to help people whose homes and possessions were damaged in the flooding, as well as providing products to help re-equip people's homes. Like so many others, we've been shocked and saddened at the events in Ukraine. We donated £25,000 to the Disasters Emergency Committee Ukraine Appeal in 2022 to go towards providing food, water, shelter and medical supplies to Ukrainian families.
myLakeland
These are unusual years to say the least. Never has the money from our myLakeland Charity Pot been so needed, by so many. Here's a peek at where the donations are already making a difference.
In 2023, the myLakeland club gave an incredible £20,000 to Shelter, the housing and homelessness charity. Shelter exists to defend the right to a safe home and to fight the devastating impact the housing emergency is having on people and our society. Every day, they stand alongside those most at risk from the housing emergency through their campaigns for change, emergency support and specialist legal advice.
£10,000 could pay for:
Lily’s Story
Lily is a qualified nurse. Her family was made homeless when their landlord decided to sell. They were placed in numerous hotels, sometimes for as short a period as one week – never knowing when it would be time to pack up again and move on. Sometimes, Lily would take the kids to school with all her suitcases in tow. Lily said “One day, I waited until 3.30pm to find out which hotel we were going to. The kids were really unhappy and unsettled”. Without a kitchen to cook in, and unable to afford to eat hotel food, Lily would cook dinner for the kids at friends’ houses. Understandably, Lily ended up off work and under the mental health team. Luckily, Shelter’s Bristol office was able to help. With their support, Lily secured more suitable temporary accommodation, with a kitchen, washing machine and shower. Then in July 2023, Lily picked up the keys to her new social home and now Lily and her family are settled in their new home. "Happy Birthday Lakeland and myLakeland club! Thank you so much to all of you for your amazing support over the years, you’ve raised an incredible amount of money for Shelter so far. The amazing contributions have supported Shelter to be there for families when it matters most; whether to answer our emergency helpline, to provide legal support when facing eviction and to continue to campaign for a fairer housing system." From all at Shelter
Learn more about Shelter >
The Trussell Trust support a nationwide network of food banks providing emergency food and support to people facing hardship and campaigning for change to end the need for food banks in the UK. Over the last 12 months, food banks in the Trussell Trust's network have provided record numbers of emergency food parcels to people facing hardship. This isn't right.
Did you know:
"The Trussell Trust is pleased to celebrate Lakeland’s 60th Birthday, and the 5th anniversary of our partnership. We are grateful for the continued support of Lakeland colleagues and customers through the myLakeland club. Happy Birthday, Lakeland!" From all at the Trussell Trust *Data from March 2024
Learn more about The Trussell Trust >
As the UK's largest woodland conservation charity, the Woodland Trust has been standing up for woods, trees and wildlife since 1972. Creating, restoring and protecting precious and irreplaceable woodland for over 50 years, the Trust has planted more than 55 million native trees with a mission to establish 50 million more by 2025. Throughout our partnership, we've been able to make a real impact together.
"We’d like to wish our partner Lakeland a tree-mendous 60th Birthday! Lakeland are true tree champions who have supported our essential work at the Woodland Trust since 2008. We’re proud to partner with an organisation that inspires its customers to embrace sustainability. Happy Birthday Lakeland, here's to many more fantastic years!" From the Woodland Trust team.
Learn more about The Woodland Trust >
A proportion of what goes into the myLakeland Charity Pot supports many causes local to our Lake District base via the efforts of the Cumbria Community Foundation. They help improve the health and wellbeing of local people and projects that help the local environment, mainly in South Cumbria.Charitable, not-for-profit organisations that meet the criteria needed are able to apply for funding. Local carer support, youth and mental health services have all benefitted.
Learn more about how to apply >
To make sure we can help as many charities and people as possible, we focus our support on the areas outlined above. We regularly ask our colleagues nationally and at our Windermere Head Office and Distribution Centre in Kendal to support with decision making and charity selection. Our local and national charities have been chosen for this year and we don't accept unsolicited applications. Nor do we sponsor individuals, publications, videos or websites.
If you would like to apply for funding, please send an email to [email protected] and we will review it as part of our bi-annual audit. We're sure you'll appreciate we receive a lot of communication on this topic, so please assume that if you don't hear back from us, your application has been unsuccessful this time.
Trussell Trust - Reg. Charity in England & Wales (1110522) and Scotland (SC044246). Reg. Ltd. Co. in England & Wales (5434524). Shelter, the National Campaign for Homeless People Limited - Charity number: 263710 (England and Wales), SC002327 (Scotland). The Woodland Trust is a charity registered in England and Wales (No. 294344) and in Scotland (No. SC038885).
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