Supporting the Gloucester 9 Project to help combat poverty

The Gloucester 9 Project is a new scheme set up by the Gloucester Rotary Club to help combat issues around poverty that people in Gloucester are facing. The project will supply essential items such as clothing, household goods, and furniture to those in need in the nine most deprived areas of Gloucester, where half of the city’s population lives.  

Great Western Air Ambulance Charity (GWAAC) is proud to partner with the Gloucester Rotary Club to contribute to the project and help make these items readily available to those who need them most.

What are we doing to help?

Gloucestershire is our busiest region. In 2023 we were called to 573 people in urgent need of lifesaving care in Gloucestershire (29% of GWAAC’s total call-outs). Our two charity shops in Gloucester (one on Northgate Street and one on Southgate Street) bring in vital funds to help keep our air ambulance and critical care service operational.

The shops provide us with a means of collecting unwanted bedding, kitchen utensils, and clothing for resale and we are now carefully selecting items that are unsuitable for sale in our shops due to minor defects or damage and donating them to the Gloucester 9 Project.

Our impact so far

Since the project’s inception in October 2023, GWAAC volunteers and staff in our Gloucester shops have collected an estimated 40kg of donations weekly. By March 2024, this had made approximately 880kg in weight – that’s the equivalent in weight of one of our fully equipped critical care cars!

“The Charity’s two shops here have supplied quality used clothing on a weekly basis since the project’s inception and the local manager, Ellie Watkins, and her staff are unfailingly pleasant and supportive.”

John Stubbings, Gloucester Rotary Club

No waste here

In addition to supporting the Gloucester 9 Project, GWAAC is actively working to minimise waste and reduce our carbon footprint.

Our expanding network of charity shops plays an important role in diverting tons of goods from landfills annually. Our textile clothing banks are conveniently located throughout our region, including outside our shops, making it seamless for people to recycle clothes and textiles.

We've also implemented recycling programs for ink cartridges, stamps, and electronics, ensuring they're reused whenever possible. Our commitment to recycling extends across all our shop locations, where we actively work to minimise waste and maximise resource efficiency.

We hope to see you at one of our shops soon — perhaps you have some unwanted goods you’d like to donate, or maybe you’re looking to find your next treasured item.

And if you’d like to learn more about what we are doing across our charity (not just in the shops) in terms of recycling and sustainability, head over to our sustainability webpage.