Over £7m in foreign coins lying around homes

8:50am Wednesday 3rd December 2008

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MORE than £7million of unwanted holiday coins is thought to be lying around homes in Gloucestershire and South Gloucestershire.

The Post Office believes there is £5.3million of discarded foreign money in Gloucestershire and £2.3million in South Gloucestershire.

The figures come from a Post Office poll which found that families, on average, have £11.07 of foreign coins lying around their homes.

The Post Office has now teamed up with children’s charity Barnardo’s to encourage people to hand in their cash and help impoverished and disadvantaged youngsters across the country.

Helen Warburton, head of travel services at the Post Office, said: "We’ve all come home from holiday and put any left-over coins in a drawer and forgotten about them. But we’re inviting people to think about what better use they can put that cash to.

"By bringing all the unwanted currency together, people can make a huge difference to the lives of some of the UK’s most vulnerable children. And it’s not restricted to coins - customers can also donate unwanted foreign notes and even sterling if they so wish."

In South Gloucestershire, Yate Post Office in Yate Shopping Centre is the only branch participating in the scheme and in Gloucestershire, holidaymakers can take their cash to Post Offices in Gloucester, Stroud, Cheltenham and Cirencester.

Liz Cox, Barnardo’s director of fundraising, said: "This is an ideal opportunity to clear out that loose change that is cluttering up people’s drawers.

"We’re asking people to please take their foreign coins down to the local Post Office and make a real difference to the lives of children who really need our help.

"Barnardo’s works with 100,000 children and their families throughout the UK, who are affected by today’s most urgent issues, such as poverty, disability and abuse."

Similar appeals in the past have raised £1.1million for charity.