Scots mums front Mother’s Day campaign to encourage local shopping

A poll with 370 mums from has revealed some of the key challenges faced by mums, from ‘mum guilt’ to limited time for themselves. 96% of mums would like a local gift card for Mother's Day, according to the research

Five Scottish business owning and influencer mums are taking part in a new campaign, encouraging people to think about what mums really want and need this Mother’s Day, supporting local businesses at the same time.

Some 77 per cent of mums say they feel guilty spending money on themselves and 27 per cent say they get just 15 minutes to themselves each day, according to new research from Town & City Gift Cards ahead of Mother’s Day on March 10.

In the research, clothes, shoes and bags are the items that 76 per cent of mums feel guilty spending money on, followed by nights out/days out and holidays (60 per cent), beauty treatments (59 per cent), meals out (43 per cent) and the gym/health/fitness activities (28 per cent).

Helen Smith is part of a new Mother's Day campaign to encourage local shopping.

Some 92 per cent of mums have wished for more time for themselves and 78 per cent have wished for more time with their friends. 36 per cent are spending 7-8 hours per day in paid employment with 15 per cent spending 9-10 hours per day, and 17 per cent spending over 10 hours each day at work. A massive 69 per cent are working into the evenings and weekends.

Almost a third of mums are spending more than 90 minutes each day on household tasks, with a quarter of mums saying they get just 15 minutes each day purely to themselves.

Ninety five per cent of mums said they worry more since having children, with half of mums saying children are their biggest worry, followed by finances (32 per cent), partner/love life and work.

The research was undertaken with 370 mums across the UK and Ireland by local gift card specialists Town & City Gift Cards as part of their ‘more than a mum’ Mother’s Day campaign. The local gift cards can be spent with independent and national shops, restaurants, salons, attractions, hotels and service providers, locking spend into local economies.

Alex Blair is part of a new campaign for Mother's Day.

A huge 96 per cent of mums surveyed said they’d like to receive a local gift card for Mother’s Day, with beauty treatments and a meal out being the top items mums would spend their gift card on.

A host of Scottish mum influencers, and local business owners who are part of Town & City Gift Card and Scotland Loves Local Gift Card programmes in Scotland, are taking part in the Mother’s Day campaign talking about being a mum in 2024 and the importance of supporting local businesses.

Alex Blair, 24, from Falkirk set up her TikTok accountin 2022 and has now amassed over 1 million likes

“I think ’mum guilt’ is a huge challenge for mums and it can be so conflicting sometimes. On one hand, mums feel guilty about spending time away from their children and on the other hand, they want and need time for themselves.

"There’s also that ‘mum guilt’ about spending money on themselves which I think stems from wanting the best for our children and putting them first. Worry is a big challenge too, from whether we’re doing the right things as a mum, to financial pressures. When we’re happy as mums though, and when we do take that time for ourselves, we’re arguably better mums because we’re in a better place and feel more positive.”

Colin Munro is the managing director of Miconex, founder of the Town & City Gift Card concept and said: “For Mother’s Day this year we wanted to delve into what it really means to be a mum in 2024, and some of the challenges that mums face. 77 per cent of mums feeling guilty about spending money on themselves seems extraordinary but it actually aligns with our research about gift cards generally.

“People give gift cards because it encourages the recipient to treat themselves, and the recipient sees the gift card as ‘free money’ so they have a chance to spend on things they might otherwise think twice about. The survey is a great reminder to think about what mums really want and need this Mother’s Day, supporting local at the same time.”