Active travellers taking part in Renfrewshire’s Not Far? Leave the Car campaign have the opportunity to earn discounts and money off at more than 100 local businesses thanks to the Renfrewshire Gift Card.
The campaign has linked up with the Scotland Loves Local initiative and will see participants earn points every time they walk, wheel, cycle or use public transport and these can be turned into £5, £10 and £20 Renfrewshire gift cards – as well as being entered into a prize draw every month to win a free £20 gift card.
Points can be redeemed at a range of local businesses including independent gift shops, cafes and restaurants, such as Brew, Food Forty Six, M&S Food Hall, Zambretto Italian, Comicrazy, John McKay Jewellers, Musclebound, Remode or With Love Flowers.
Participants can start tracking their journeys manually or automatically – with every journey collecting points they can redeem – by downloading the free app from www.renfrewshire.gov.uk/leavethecar.
Elaine Lorimer is the lead officer for the Renfrewshire Council project and is pleased to see the wide range of options people taking part can exchange their points for.
Elaine said: “We’ve been working hard to make it as enticing as possible for people to take part in the campaign and to start to get more and more active.
“With being able to redeem collected points at more than 100 local businesses, we hope this will encourage people to download the free app and start to track their journeys.
“Leaving the car at home will make you fitter, healthier and reduce our carbon emissions so get involved and earn money off at your favourite local business just for getting active.”
The Scottish Government has backed the introduction of the Renfrewshire Gift Card as part of a landmark move to give every region in Scotland the opportunity to introduce its own local gift card, delivered by Scotland’s Town Partnership (STP) alongside Scottish fintech Miconex.
STP Chief Officer Phil Prentice said: “It’s fantastic to see the Renfrewshire Gift Card being used to promote active and sustainable travel in the area. Every journey logged, every point collected and every gift card redeemed is an investment in Renfrewshire.
“There’s a strong synergy between active and sustainable travel and creating vibrant, successful communities. This initiative will drive spend into the local economy and provide essential support for businesses as we lay the foundations for a stronger future.”
Businesses across Renfrewshire are encouraged to join the Renfrewshire Gift Card for free. There is also the option for businesses to offer a discount to Not Far? Leave the Car participants to encourage customers to redeem their gift card at their business.
Colin Munro, Managing Director of Miconex, said: “Renfrewshire’s new Not Far? Leave the Car campaign is a chance for residents to get their local gift card as a reward for looking after themselves and where they live. It also means there will be lots of Renfrewshire Gift Cards in circulation, money that is locked into the area ready for spending with local businesses. It’s easy for businesses to register and they accept the gift card like any other card payment with no extra equipment required.”
To sign up as a business to the Renfrewshire Gift Card, visit lovelocal.scot/giftcard.