Yahoo News Charities urge people to give them their old £1 coins before they cease to be legal tender
With one week left for the old round one pound coins before they cease to be legal tender, charities are urging people to use them to make donations.
From midnight on Sunday October 15, the round pound will lose its legal tender status, meaning stores cannot hand out old pound coins as change and can refuse to accept them as payment.
The Royal Mint and HM Treasury are urging Brits to spend them or change them over in banks – but charities have seen the deadline as a fundraising opportunity.
There are now more new pound coins than old ones in circulation – have you spent your old pounds yet? #QuidsIn pic.twitter.com/mL8eN804UW
— The Royal Mint (@RoyalMintUK) August 28, 2017
The Diabetes Research & Wellness Foundation, Epilepsy Action and the Rainbow Trust Children’s Charity are just some of those asking people to hand old pound coins into them.
Other charities have also leapt on the drive, and sent out Twitter appeals for donations:
WOW £400 million worth of old £1 coins are still in circulation! You could put them in a charity pot and raise some money for good causes❤️
— Charitable Giving (@CharitbleGiving) October 9, 2017
Here’s a thought instead of spending your old £1 coins in a shop, consider donating to charity. 500 million could make a massive difference.
— The Lamp Post (@TheLampPostUK) October 9, 2017
With £500m of old £1 coins apparently still in circulation , do the world a favour and stick them into charity pots today x
— Will Greasley (@grezza2120) October 9, 2017
One week til old £1 are no longer legal tender, why not pop your old coins into our #TinyHearts Incubator @barnshospital #barnsleyisbrill pic.twitter.com/5fgZuZd34s
— Barnsley HospCharity (@BHNFTCharity) October 8, 2017
Help us by donating your old £1 #MondayBlogs: https://t.co/elvjHGZhKK pic.twitter.com/CDnmwlbHLY
— Charity: NAWT (@NAWT_updates) October 9, 2017
Oonagh Goodman, from the Rainbow Trust Children’s Charity, said: “Our advice to other organisations is to make your campaign stand out and relevant to your cause. Small acts make a huge difference – the round pounds add up!”
Pippa Brook, from the Stratford Town Trust, added: “The pound is a perfect amount, it appeals to all as it does not make a massive hole in the wallet!”
The new 12-sided pound coin, which resembles the old threepenny bit, entered circulation in March and boasts new high-tech security features to thwart counterfeiters.
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The production of the new coins follows concerns about round pounds being vulnerable to sophisticated counterfeiters.
Around one in every 30 old-style pound coins in people’s change in recent years has been fake.
One pound coins were first launched on April 21 1983 to replace £1 notes. The Royal Mint has produced more than two billion round pound coins since that time.
