Posted on: 5th January 2026

RECYCLE YOUR CARDS AND MAKE SOMETHING USEFUL

Leeds City Mission is appealing to churches in the city for donations of old Christmas cards.

The cards will be recycled to create greetings tags out of waste.

For the last three years Leeds City Mission (LCM) has run this novel recycling project.  In 2025 an incredible total of 4200 greetings cards were donated by churches, LCM supporters and the general public.  Enthusiastic volunteers used crimping scissors to create an incredible total of 7200 seasonal gift tags.  These were then given away free of charge to anyone who wanted some – this included churches, Christian organisations, voluntary societies and other third sector organisations who were able to pass them on to users of their activities and services.

Volunteers at the City Mission Compassion Centre in Armley are repeating the exercise in 2026.  They aim to collect thousands of now-redundant cards after the Christmas season and reuse them. They can also use old greetings cards connected to other occasions such as birthdays and anniversaries. 

Unfortunately one of their key volunteers creating the tags in 2025 died last summer.  Gillies Milner who was 90 years old passed away last summer – but not before her nimble fingers had created a vast range of gift tags from the unused cards.  The City Mission will be recruiting new volunteers to undertake the card cutting exercise throughout the year.  Batches of cards can be supplied and they can be crafted in the comfort of one’s own home and to the convenience of the person involved.

The City Mission’s spokesman said “the more cards we receive, the more tags we hope to produce for next Christmas. This is a great opportunity to create something of worth out of waste.”

Greetings Cards can be dropped off at the Mission Room – the base of Leeds City Mission which hosts its various compassion projects including foodbank and charity shop. This is the last public building at the end of Town Street and is diagonally opposite Armley Library.   It is adjacent to Westerly Rise Flats.

Volunteers at the City Mission will gladly receive donations of no-longer-needed cards anytime between 10.30am to 2.45 pm Mondays to Fridays. Telephone 0113 345 3118 or e-mail lcm1837@gmail for more details.  It is located in Mistress Lane, Armley, Leeds, LS12 2LJ

Leeds City Mission is a multi-church Christian agency which has worked with marginalised people over three centuries bringing gospel hope and practical help.  This includes unemployed, prisoners, addicts, ex-offenders and the many Leeds residents just struggling with life. It is one of the city’s oldest Christian organisations being in continuous existence since 1837.

Accompanying photographs show Sinclair Martin (right) from the City Mission with Volunteer Steve Lambert (left) cutting the first batch of donated Christmas cards at the City Mission Compassion Centre in Mistress Lane, Armley.  Also a  picture of the Leeds City Mission Compassion Centre in Mistress Lane, Armley