Volunteer reward scheme expanded across district

Councillor Maureen Cummings pictured with Abrar Nawaz, who has already signed up to the scheme

Firms, organisations and individuals in part of West Yorkshire are being encouraged to sign up to a scheme that rewards volunteering.

Citizen Coin is an app and website which volunteers can use to earn "coins" which can then be exchanged for discounts at local businesses, Wakefield Council said.

Following a successful pilot in the city centre, Citizen Coin would be rolled out to other areas of the district, starting with Featherstone, the authority added.

Councillor Maureen Cummings said the app was "a brilliant way to promote your business while encouraging people to volunteer".

Ms Cummings, cabinet member for communities and poverty, added that the free-to-use app also supported "those who already do wonderful work in our communities".

'Support and reward'

Wakefield Council said residents could sign up to volunteering activities through the app and receive Citizen Coins once they had completed them.

The "coins" could be spent on offers and discounts that businesses advertised on the app, and there was also the opportunity to gift them to other users, it added.

Businesses which had already joined the scheme included cafes, barbers, museums and castles, co-working spaces, active equipment shops, leisure centres, art therapists and sandwich shops, according to Wakefield Council.

In August, 43 businesses in Wakefield advertised offers and discounts and 45 volunteering organisations advertised opportunities on the app, while there were 343 registered volunteers and 1,161 Citizen Coins in circulation, the council said.

Abrar Nawaz, owner of the Silver Spice sandwich and curry bar in Wakefield city centre, said: “It’s a great opportunity for us to support and reward local volunteers as well as promote our business to more people.

“We’re really delighted people have already come into our restaurant and spent their coins.”

The expansion of Wakefield's Citizen Coin scheme would get under way in mid-September, the council said.

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