Children help endangered wildlife

17/07/2009

Two Yorkshire company bosses are pioneering a novel approach to children's parties that dispenses with presents while helping to save endangered wildlife.
PartiesAroundTheWorld.co.uk allows party guests to make donations to a charity or cause that has been adopted as a theme for the party.
It is the idea of Deirdre Bounds, founder of Leeds-based ethical travel company i-to-i.com, and Carl Hopkins, former boss of Shipley marketing agency JDA.
They are confident that parents will welcome an alternative to the throwaway consumerism that is so often associated with children's parties.
Says Ms Bounds: "Once children reach school age they will inevitably get invited to dozens of parties a year. That's a lot of presents to buy, and usually a piece of plastic tat bought from a supermarket at the last minute for a child we don't know."
She adds that while not adding to the mountain of unwanted party gifts, children are also being given the chance to learn about world issues and ethics.
And says Mr Hopkins: "Feedback has been extremely positive, and I believe that together we can quickly grow this business. Our aim is to raise £50,000 for the charities in our first year."
Copyright © Press Association 2009