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Love is in the air and so is a social echo thanks to The Big Issue Shop

Forget flowers and wine – treat your loved one to something special from The Big Issue shop this Valentine’s Day

Roses are red, violets are blue, but if you’re stuck for a thoughtful gift for your significant other, The Big Issue Shop has the just the thing for you.

Valentine’s Day is upon us and love it or hate it, now is the time to get that little something that will sum up your innermost romantic feelings perfectly. Or prepare to face the wrath of the one sitting across the candle-hit table on that intimate meal for two come the 14th.

Why limit yourself to just one though, when you can spread the love to good causes around the world with gifts from The Big Issue Shop?

Take Studio 306’s intricately designed jewellery, for example. The not-for-profit organisation know a thing or two about hearts – and heads. Not only do they design and hand-make heart-shaped pendants in their North London studio but they also offer a creative space for people recovering from mental illness in the process.

They’re not the only ones using jewellery for good, Quazi’s earrings and rings certainly love the Earth, recycling old magazines and turning them into jewellery while helping artisans in Swaziland with a living wage too.

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Valentine’s is all about celebrating the ties that bind in a loving relationship so Reddendi’s offerings make an ideal present. The social enterprise’s colourful collection of ties (and now pocket squares and cufflinks) perfectly accompany any snappy suit should you want to dress to impress and the profits go towards helping teach a child in India to read and write for a whole year.

If that doesn’t turn up the heat on Valentine’s Day, Elvis and Kresse’s weekend bag will do the trick – it is made of recycled decommissioned fire hose that was previously set for landfill. While the materials may have had a long, storied career of extinguishing fires, it looks fashionable enough to keep the embers flickering on the big day while also helping The Fire Fighters Charity with 50 per cent of the profits.

Perennial romantic favourites wine and flowers might not make the cut in The Big Issue Shop, but we’ve certainly got chocolate covered.

Divine Chocolate’s cookbook will transform your relationship, alright, both with mouth-watering confectionery and the ethical path behind the sweet treat.

The thoughtful collection is crammed full of recipes and ideas to change any chocoholic’s plans while supporting the Ghanaian cocoa farmers behind the award-winning firms delicious bars.

For all this and much, much more, the full Valentine’s collection is available here.

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Change a vendor's life this Christmas

This Christmas, 3.8 million people across the UK will be facing extreme poverty. Thousands of those struggling will turn to selling the Big Issue as a vital source of income - they need your support to earn and lift themselves out of poverty.

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