NEARLY HALF OF WELSH PEOPLE ADMIT TO RE-GIFTING UNWANTED CHRISTMAS PRESENTS

NEARLY HALF OF WELSH PEOPLE ADMIT TO RE-GIFTING UNWANTED CHRISTMAS PRESENTS

• Forty-five percent of Welsh people admit to ‘re-gifting’
• Poll reveals mums and siblings are the worst gift-givers, daughters are the best

It may be the season of goodwill, but it seems that those festive feelings don’t extend to our Christmas gift giving, with nearly half – 45 percent – of us Welsh people shamelessly admitting to ‘re-gifting’ unwanted presents.

New research released by the charity Action for Children and One Poll which surveyed 2,000 people including 110 from Wales has also revealed that mums and siblings are the worst offenders in Wales when it comes to giving unwanted gifts, with daughters the best when it comes to picking out the perfect ‘pressie’.

Over one in five (21 percent) say their mother and siblings regularly give the most unwanted presents while only five percent of respondents said they regularly received unwanted gifts from their daughter. And over half (55 percent), lie when presented with something they aren’t keen on, declaring they ‘love it’ regardless of their true feelings.

Those polled estimated the average price of their most expensive unwanted gift in Wales from the last five years to be £25.

With so much waste in expensive unwanted Christmas gifts the charity, Action for Children, is this year encouraging people to ditch the desperate novelty presents and instead donate £10 to support vulnerable and at risk children.

A raft of celebrities from music, stage and screen have backed the campaign by revealing what unwanted Christmas gifts they had received. Starring in a short two-minute film, the stars, including; Inbetweeners actress Laura Haddock, comedian Omid Djalili, Peaky Blinders and Slaughterhouse Rulez actor Finn Cole all reveal the unwanted gifts they’ve found in their Christmas stocking.

The film can be viewed here: https://youtu.be/HIFYQSzHZ30

Omid Djalili said:

“It has almost become a rite of passage that you receive an unwanted Christmas present every year. My aunt once got me shampoo, despite me not having had hair since 2003. I said ‘Auntie, you know I haven’t got any hair’. She said ‘it’s the thought that counts’. I said ‘what were you thinking?’. She said ‘I really don’t know’. The next Christmas she got a voucher for me to get my highlights done at Vidal Sassoon. She’s now doing five minutes at the Comedy Store.”

“Next time you’re buying a loved a present they probably don’t need and may not like; think about becoming a Secret Santa for Action for Children instead and make an amazing difference to a child this Christmas.”

Brigitte Gater, Action for Children’s national director in Wales, said:

“We’ve all been there, the dreaded moment when you’re faced with the task of buying a last-minute gift for a loved one or colleague and end up reaching for the snowman socks! Whether it’s agreeing as an office or just making a donation as an individual, we want people to consider ditching the bizarre and unwanted novelty presents in favour of becoming a Secret Santa to a child for whom it will make an incredible difference.”

Brigitte Gater continued:

“This is why, today, we are launching our ‘Be a Secret Santa’ campaign, encouraging people to donate to Action for Children. Through our services across the UK we offer vulnerable children a place of safety and support to deal with the unimaginable difficulties in their lives. Whether you can manage £10 or £50 you will ensure we can continue to support those children most vulnerable in our society, not just at Christmas but everyday.”

Those that want to get involved in the campaign can text CHILD to 70607 or visit
www.iamsanta.org.uk