You don’t have to dig deep to help - just check your coat pockets and handbags for forgotten coins and donate them to help make life more comfortable for people with cancer.
With new research showing the average person has up to £26.99 lying around at home in bags, pockets and down the back of the sofa, the nation could, quite literally, be sitting on a huge £760 million.
Coat pockets are the most common place in which to find or keep loose change or spare cash, with nearly six in ten (58%) doing so, followed by handbags (48%) and pots or piggy banks (45%) according to a study of 2,000 British adults.
Pub and brewery group Greene King is launching its annual fundraising appeal for MacMillan Cancer Support and is encouraging customers to either round up their bill by 25p when they get a round in with card or contactless payments or pop a few coins into the collection tins displayed on bars in any of their 1,600 pubs.
Greene King‘s Assad Malic said: “We’re extremely conscious of the impact the cost-of-living crisis is continuing to have on people which is an understandable obstacle for many when it comes to considering donating to charity.
“Despite this, the research shows that there is a significant amount of loose change lying around households in the UK. It’s important to recognise that the smallest donation, even if it’s from rediscovered cash down the backs of sofas, can make such a monumental difference to the important work Macmillan Cancer Support carries out daily in the UK.”
The group aims to tackle the misplaced belief held by a third of the nation that anything less than £2 is not worth donating.
There are around 3 million people living with cancer in the UK, and with an ageing population it is predicted to rise to 4 million by 2030.
MacMillian Cancer Support charity plays an in invaluable role supporting patients as they navigate the huge impact of the disease.
It can help with paying associated bills and offers advice on treatment, managing hospital appointments and provides pastoral support and counselling.
It can match patients with trained MacMillan ‘buddies’ to provide companionship and MacMillan nurses are cancer specialists dedicated to providing care and comfort.
Greene King patrons has raised £18 million for the charity since the partnership was launched in 2012 – and in just five years has collected £2 million thanks to the generosity of customers who opted to take advantage of the digital collection tin Pennies by rounding up their bill by 25p.
In fact, a recent survey of pub goers reveals that two in five (40%) said they will be rounding up their bill to contribute to the good cause.
As part of the campaign to raise both cash and awareness, staff regularly hold quiz nights, coffee mornings and take on personal challenges including skydives, boat races and marathons.
To learn more, please visit https://www.greeneking.co.uk/our-company/greene-king-for-good/macmillan
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