musicMagpie has passed £100k in its fundraising scheme for NHS Charities Together , in just seven weeks, supported by a surge in demand for its products as people look to work, stay connected and be entertained from home
The Stockport-based online recommerce business launched this huge fundraising initiative for the NHS at the beginning of April. musicMagpie pledged £1 for every single item of consumer tech it purchases from its customers, as well as donating £1 for each refurbished tech item sold on its online store.
The fundraising scheme is set to run until the end of June, in which time musicMagpie hopes to be able to hit the original target of £250k raised in total for the NHS.
In addition to this scheme, the company has also donated over 200 tablets to health authorities across the UK, including 25 into Stepping Hill hospital in Stockport, to help keep people connected to loved ones when they need to the most, coupled with over 3,000 children’s books which have been donated to local community groups across Manchester and the surrounding areas.
musicMagpie is also supporting the night time and cultural economy in the Greater Manchester area by becoming a partner of United We Stream. The online nightlife channel was launched by Sacha Lord, night time economy adviser to Greater Manchester and Mayor Andy Burnham.
The initiative has so far raised over £380k to support Greater Manchester’s nightlife and cultural organisations, which includes donations from viewers that have tuned in to date, in addition to corporate support and donations from the likes of musicMagpie.
Steve Oliver, CEO of musicMagpie, commented:
We consider ourselves extremely fortunate that due to the government guidelines, online retail remained open and was encouraged to keep servicing consumers. In the context of a surge in demand for our products, both consumer tech and physical media, we have been in the blessed position to be able to do everything we can to support our nation’s efforts to deal with COVID-19.
“Being able to support the NHS in particular was of a significant importance to myself, as my closest friend is a hospital consultant, and it was also the case for all our colleagues at musicMagpie. We’re absolutely delighted that we have been able to raise such a substantial sum in such a short space of time, and are committed to growing this even further over the coming weeks.”
musicMagpie, which started life as a ‘cash for CDs, DVDs, books and games’ business and now exists as the UK’s biggest mobile phone recycler, also expanded its complimentary, contact free home collection for tech items valued under £400, so that customers wouldn’t have to leave their homes to trade their items if they felt uneasy doing so. This is in addition to the existing range of drop-off options at essential retailers including Post Office branches and convenience stores, which people are still free to use.