Since the start of the coronavirus pandemic we have been in touch with lots of small shops on the islands and we wanted to share this great idea from one of them – Sinclair General Stores on Sanday in Orkney has launched a gift voucher scheme to support businesses on the island. You can read the press release below and find out more on the Facebook page.
The Sanday Wave
An island retailer in Orkney has launched an innovative campaign to encourage
investment in the local economy this Christmas.
Sinclair General Stores on the small island of Sanday has teamed up with a local graphic designer and a local print business to create gift vouchers redeemable only on the island.
Jackie Sinclair the store’s owner said “We are very keen on promoting local economic sustainability. We currently support the Island’s Crafters Hub who use our former premises for their shop. The Hub, along with other local businesses and services, has been unable to operate this year, leaving dozens of talented locals with severely reduced income.”
“We decided to launch a campaign this Christmas to encourage residents to look to
local businesses before their keyboard, and help Sanday to recover from a devastating year. We usually sell a lot of gift vouchers for our own shop and thought this year we would broaden their scope.”
Jackie commented “The ‘Sanday Wave’ is a phrase coined to describe how we greet
one another as we pass in our cars. More than a greeting, these vouchers support
us to pull together as community and repay the amazing community support we have
given one another throughout 2020.”
The scheme aims to encourage friends and relatives who cannot be together at
Christmas to send their loved ones a voucher which they can use to select a
precious gift or special service, retaining as much trade as possible within the island.
There are no rules about where the vouchers can be spent, and no business is
obliged to take the vouchers. However, those redeeming them simply return them to
the store to receive payment. The campaign will be supported by social media posts on the store’s popular Facebook page highlighting the broad range of goods and services available on the island.
Vouchers can be purchased from 1st November online at sandaywave.square.site,
by phoning Sinclair General Stores on 01857 600312, emailing
sinclairhaulage@btinternet.com or via their Facebook page – Sinclair General Stores
Sanday.