Card machine cases make their way across the Irish Sea!

An event venue that’s making a difference

Manchester Central, an award-winning venue in the heart of Manchester, was one of the first major venues to commit to the Net Zero Carbon Events Pledge. It has sustainability at its heart, so becoming part of A Good Thing in May 2024 was a natural step. For this venue, sustainability is not just about protecting the natural environment: it’s about the social, economic and cultural impacts too.

Manchester Central has been a paying subscriber to A Good Thing since August 2024, and in that time has donated items including a large amount of lovely furniture, office phones and a wheelchair. More recently, it donated some silicone Dojo cases for credit card machines, which were matched with the Rock of Fire Centre charity.

Striving to do the very best

Lauren Hudson, Sustainability and Safety Advisor at Manchester Central, told us a bit about the experience of using A Good Thing:

“The donation process was incredibly smooth and straightforward. A Good Thing made it easy to list the items and then connect with the charity. It was great to know that the Dojo card machine cases would be put to good use, rather than going to waste.”

Manchester Central has already been diverting waste from landfill for over a decade, with its general waste being burned for energy. Its alliance with A Good Thing is one more tool in its kit, in terms of sustainability and its mission, as Lauren explains:

“We’re always looking for ways to ensure that unneeded items from our operations can benefit others, rather than ending up as waste. Giving to charity aligns with our commitment to social impact, and this felt like a simple but meaningful way to extend the useful life of these items.”

A bit of a niche donation

Even though Manchester Central’s donation was unusual, the match was quick and easy, according to Lauren:

“The Dojo cases were quite an individual item, so we only had one charity apply on this occasion. However the Rock of Fire Centre is a great organisation to support and we were more than happy to work with them. Knowing that the items are being repurposed for good is incredibly rewarding. It’s always great to contribute to a circular economy and support organisations doing meaningful work.”

A place to build community

The Rock of Fire Centre, led by Bishop Hilda Abban, is a charity based in Crumlin in Northern Ireland, focused on supporting people affected by homelessness, poverty, being widowed or orphaned, or imprisonment. The charity provides meals, community support and prison visits, and also operates a women’s homeless centre. The Centre is a place where everyone feels welcome.

Hilda told us a little bit about her experience of using the A Good Thing platform:

“I’ve used A Good Thing for almost three years. I typically log into my laptop to access my emails in the afternoons, after 3pm, but on this particular day I happened to log in as early as 10am. And straightaway I saw the advert for the Dojo cases… I thought ‘oh, I need them!’.”

Manchester Central was willing to post the cases out to the Rock of Fire charity, which was a great help, and Hilda was delighted:

“I was so happy I had won the cases. Am so glad I received them.”