A hospice has joined the first ever national charity shop gift card scheme.

Martlets, which has shops across Brighton and Hove, is part of the new gift card scheme.

The cards are accepted by hundreds of charity shops across the UK.

“The charity shop gift card will introduce people to our fantastic shops and to shopping sustainably while supporting a fantastic cause," said Robert Parker, head of trading at Martlets.

The scheme said gift cards will support the growing interest in second-hand clothing.

It will also help reduce the amount of waste sent to landfill and boost the income of Martlets by giving it the opportunity to access a share of the £7 billion a year gift card market.

Mr Parker said: “Martlets also offers a valuable way to counter the effects of the cost-of-living crisis that is affecting so many within our communities – the gift card will help more people access quality affordable items.”

The charity shop gift card was developed in partnership with the charity retail association.

The charity retail association has 450 members with 9,000 shops, and together they are already diverting over 300,000 tonnes of textiles away from landfill and contributing over £300 million to help fund the work of their parent charities.

The gift cards themselves are recyclable and compostable.

“We’re delighted to see Martlets join the scheme giving the residents of Brighton, Hove and beyond a way of not just supporting a local charity but also a way to aid the circular economy, said Lee Fellows, Co-founder of the charity shop gift card.

“With Christmas only a few months away, it’s a great to time to launch the scheme.”

Shoppers can purchase and spend with gift cards at any of Martlets’s eight stores across Brighton and Hove.

The gift cards will also be on sale at supermarkets and on the charity shop gift card website.