It’s in the bag – Cumbrian shop turns carriers into cash


A shop owner from Cumbria has found a simple yet effective way of raising money for a lifesaving charity that costs his customers little, but makes a lot of difference.


John Tucker, who runs Beach Stores on Seascale’s seafront, is selling carrier bags at 5p each and is donating all the proceeds to the Great North Air Ambulance Service.

The convenience store has been charging for the bags since last December and the running total amounts to more than £500, equivalent to over 10,000 bags. Mr Tucker who has owned the store for the past 15 years plans to permanently donate all the money raised to the charity.

Mr Tucker said: “The Great North Air Ambulance is held in high regard in the area and we have had bounds of support from the local community who appreciate the invaluable service they provide. We have been greeted with many kind responses from customers who insist we charge them for more bags than what they have taken.

“The sale of the bags not only benefits the charity but we have halved the number of carrier bags we use too.”

Mandy Drake, deputy director of fundraising at GNAAS, said: “This is a brilliant way to highlight that small sums of money from a large amount of people can really add up. We are happy John has chosen to support us and we want to pay a special thanks to his customers for their donations.”

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