Kidney Care UK is the UK’s leading kidney patient support charity. In the UK right now there are more than 7 million people affected by kidney disease; that’s the equivalent of 1 in 10 people.
Last year we spent more than £4.5 million on charitable activities, supported over 3,000 individuals with counselling, debt advice and advocacy, and provided financial support to more than 1,500 people living with kidney disease and their families (that’s the equivalent of four families helped financially, every single day).
We receive no government funding, so we rely on the kind generosity of our supporters and donors to help us ensure that no one faces kidney disease alone.
In 2016, when the new plastic £5 notes were introduced, a campaign to donate your new #FirstFiver to charity raised £12.5million.
The new currency featuring King Charles III will be issued from 5 June and we’re encouraging as many people as possible to consider donating their #FirstFiver to Kidney Care UK, the UK’s leading kidney patient support charity. We have been supporting kidney patients and their families for five decades.
5 ways your #FirstFiver could help people with kidney disease across the UK
Food - It could help us send out our collection of Kidney Kitchen magazines to someone who wants to cook kidney friendly recipes for themselves and their loved ones.
Face to face - It could help us provide in-unit support to people on dialysis in Wales through our Kidney Support & Welfare Wales project.
Friendship - It could help us provide advice and guidance to a young adult with kidney disease who feels isolated and alone through our Young Adult Kidney Group.
Funds - It could help us provide financial support to someone who is unable to pay their utility bills due to being unable to work following a period of ill health.
Faith - It could help us to give hope and advice to someone who has just discovered they have kidney disease and don’t know what this means for them and their family.
Ultimately your #FirstFiver will help us to ensure that no one faces kidney disease alone. You can’t put a price on that.
How do I donate my #FirstFiver to Kidney Care UK?
There are various ways you can do this, depending on your preferences. Don’t forget to take a #FirstFiver selfie first and share on social media – remember to tag us @kidneycareuk and use the #FirstFiver hashtag:
Via your bank
Simply pop to your local branch and donate your fiver to our bank account:
Lloyds Bank
Kidney Care UK
Account number: 24371060
Sort code: 30-93-20
Donate online
You can keep your actual #FirstFiver for posterity, and donate another one to us virtually:
Click here to donate to our #FirstFiver campaign
By post
We wouldn’t recommend sending your #FirstFiver by post but if you prefer to send a donation via cheque you can do so.
Make your cheque payable to Kidney Care UK and send to us at 3 The Windmills, St Mary’s Close, Alton, Hampshire, GU34 1EF.
Over the phone
If you prefer you can speak to one of our fundraising team and make your donation via debit or credit card.
Simply give us a call on 01420 552 698 and one of the team will be able to help.
Donate via text
You can also text FIRSTFIVER to 70580 to donate £5 to Kidney Care UK (as well as the cost of a standard rate message). The donation will be added to your phone bill or deducted from your pay as you go credit (you must be over the age of 16 and must obtain permission from the bill payer first). This applies to UK donations only – if you use this code outside of the UK then additional charges will apply. Text donate service facilitated by Donr (0333 444 4111).
What is #FirstFiver?
We spoke to John Thompson, Fundraising and Management Consultant at Changing Business, who created the original #FirstFiver campaign in 2016, and asked him about raising £12.5million for charity.
1) How did you come up with the idea in 2016?
Lots of people were being really negative about the design and ‘feel’ of the new polymer £5 note, but I thought charities would be more than happy to have them. Twitter had only recently introduced the Poll function, which I saw as a good way to promote the idea, generate conversations, and garner people’s thoughts about donating the first new fiver they got.
2) Which charity did you give your #FirstFiver to in 2016 and which charity are you going to give your 2024 #FirstFiver to?
In 2016 I gave mine to the PDSA, the charity that provides veterinary care to the pets of people who might be struggling financially. I have already pledged my King Charles III #FirstFiver to Dogs 4 Rescue, a not-for-profit community interest company. It’s the UK's pioneering kennel-free rescue centre that saves dogs in desperate need in the UK and around the world.
3) Why do you think the first campaign was so successful?
#FirstFiver helped promote the joy of giving on a huge scale. I think the campaign was fuelled by the 'Chocolate Factory Factor' – that feeling of pent-up excitement as people waited to finally get, and then give, that elusive golden ticket. People sharing content about getting and giving across social media created a ground-swell of copycatting, which helped the campaign grow.
4) Do you think this 2024 campaign will be as successful?
I think this year’s campaign will be successful, with many of those giving in 2016 doing so again. I think a lot of charities will be promoting the opportunity and am hopeful that the national media will get behind the concept again. I want to see £25 million raised this time for thousands of causes across the UK.
5) Do you think people are more or less generous/supportive of charities today?
The cost of living crisis has made people more cautious about discretionary spending, but a recent survey shows the British public gave £13.9 billion to charity in 2023, a new record and an 9% increase on the £12.7 billion donated in 2022. CAF also found that a quarter of people who gave to charity during the first half of 2023 did so in cash, which bodes well for charities hoping to receive lots of donations of the new King Charles III banknotes.