AfriCat, a Reading based international charity, gets involved in this year's #Giving Tuesday campaign

AfriCat's Adopt-A-Spot to be part of #Giving Tuesday 2015's global day of giving

AfriCat, an interntional charity based in Reading, has joined more than 1,000 UK charities and businesses as an official partner of #GivingTuesday, a global day of giving at the start of the festive season.

The day, led in the UK by the Charities Aid Foundation, takes place on December 1 and follows Black Friday and Cyber Monday - two of the UK's biggest shopping days. It is an opportunity for charities, families, businesses, community centres and students to come together to do something good for a cause they care about.

AfriCat is planning on to organise an Adopt-A-Spot campaign:

Adopt-A-Spot will be an enjoyable and fun way of helping AfriCat help Namibia's spotted cats. It's an easy and affordable opportunity to contribute to the conservation of large carnivores in Namibia.

At our new Carnivore Care and Information Centre at the AfriCat Headquarters in Namibia we have 2 huge cats painted on our wall. One is a CHEETAH and the other a LEOPARD. Their spots and rosettes are not coloured in yet – but as soon as someone adopts a spot, the cheetah and leopard will slowly get their spots back. For a donation that can be made on line at: the donor be sent an email with a photograph of the spot being painted and they will have their name and where they are from added to each spot painted.

In addition AfriCat will send a thank you card with a Chris Packham photo of either a leopard or a cheetah – depending on which animal is adopted.

From the Reading Office of AfriCat Carey Widdows said: "The #GivingTuesday movement gives us a chance to connect donors directly to our work to conserve wildlife through education that our staff and volunteers do and get a memento at the same time. The painting of the spot, name and address of people will make a different Christmas present for 2015.

"Being part of such a fast growing movement is really an exciting development".

Kim Roberts, CAF's #GivingTuesday campaign manager said:

“We are astounded at the response to #GivingTuesday this year and delighted that we have hit 1,000 partners already.

“After two of the most frenetic shopping days of the year, #GivingTuesday is a day when charity can really kick off Christmas.

“People now have an extra reason to be charitable and shout about it. It is a chance for charities to celebrate the great work they do and for people to give back to the causes they care about."

#GivingTuesday came to the UK for the first time last year, having originated in the USA in 2012. It now takes place in 12 countries across the world. This time last year just 285 organisations were on board for the UK campaign.

Last year charity donations online rose sharply on #GivingTuesday.

Just Giving saw a 46% increase in donations compared to the previous year and Visa found that an average of £2500 was donated every minute on #GivingTuesday by UK Visa cardholders – this was a 10% higher than figures for the same day in 2013.

Last year the Prime Minister, the Leader of the Opposition and a number of celebrities including Helen Mirren, David Tennant, Tom Daley and Rita Ora all publicly supported the campaign.