Celebrating its milestone 60th edition, Giving & Living – the UK’s leading show for coastal gifts and souvenirs, and the largest gift and home show in the South West region – will be welcoming visitors to Westpoint in Exeter from Sunday 12 January – Tuesday 14 January.
The 60th anniversary show features its strongest ever Designed & Made in Britain showcase, showcasing a host of artisan makers from around the British Isles, as well as the Coastal Path and – brand new for 2025 – Sustainability Stars.
“We have an exceptional array of exhibitors lined up for the 2025 edition of Giving & Living, who are sure to put on a fabulous showcase for our 60th anniversary event,” says show organiser Hale Events’ managing director Mike Anderson. “We look forward to welcoming our loyal tribe of regular retail visitors, and also want to extend an invitation to buyers who might not have visited our exhibition before.”
For buyers whose ethos is focused on supporting the heritage of the UK, and local, more sustainable producers, Mike says that the Designed & Made in Britain showcase sector is sure to be a main attraction, offering new products across a wide cross-section of categories, ranging from candles, jewellery, skincare, fine art prints, greetings cards and home textiles to glasswork and pewter.
“Nurturing brands, companies and products that are Designed & Made in Britain is an essential component of our work as a trade show,” continues Mike. “Not only is supporting more sustainable homegrown brands desirable from an ethical perspective, and in terms of preserving circular local economies, it is also what retail buyers and their customers are crying out for. We are proud to offer them an effective, affordable platform where they can reach a strong and diverse audience of independent retailers and important leisure and heritage destinations.”
Adds Mike: “Many of these local makers can also consider themselves Sustainability Stars, thanks to their small-batch production techniques and natural, organic and eco-friendly materials they use to make their products. They form natural exhibition partners with some of Giving & Living’s larger wholesale suppliers, which specialise in fairly traded and ethical goods from overseas. Visitors looking for products and suppliers
with these credentials can look out for these Stars throughout the show and chat to the company about what they are doing, meeting the increasing consumer desire for sustainable products.”
Returning, the Coastal Path will again be among the highlights of Giving & Living 2025, showcasing a treasure trove of brands and products, many of which are unique to the show. “Our unique location close to the beautiful coast at Exmouth means the Coastal Path at Giving & Living is one of our most crucial show sectors,” Mike confirms. “This special focus attracts an eclectic mix of buyers, with many visitors from the hospitality trade attending the show alongside our vital independent retail audience.”
He continues: “We also want to show people that the coast in general, and particularly in the South West, is about more than just beach life. It also taps into a wide range of outdoor and indoor activities, from hiking and bird-spotting to surfing and cycling, as well as offering countless heritage opportunities – visits to stately homes, museums and castles, show gardens and historic piers. This is especially true during seasons when the weather is less than ideal, which we’re well used to in Britain.”
To register for Giving & Living, visit givingliving.co.uk; www.hale-events.co.uk
Top: Visitors at a previous Giving & Living show.
