| What to do with those spare foreign coins (Although this article was originally written in autumn 2001 the campaign
mentioned is still valid in 2002)
 A recent poll revealed that there’s over £100 million
spare foreign currency lying around in British households.
I suspect that a large amount of it is in my house, probably yours too.
Every year, we add to the pile, meaning to give it
to friends going to foreign places. But
somehow we always forget, and those pesetas, francs, lira and whatever, gather the dust on
a top shelf. We even forget to take them when we go
on holiday ourselves. And the grandchildren refuse them, having acquired a sufficiency in
their own households.
So now comes
the Good Cause, which will take those unwanted coins and
notes, including the twelve European currencies that will go out of circulation and be
replaced by the Euro next January.
Age Concern’s Fight the Freeze campaign aims
to collect and convert worldwide currency to provide funds for heating to protect older
people most at risk. Elderly people are vulnerable
to the cold, and last winter excess deaths probably due to this were 22,700 in England and
Wales.
The poorest pensioners tend to live in housing
with the most inefficient heating and insulation, so those
who can least afford a high heating bill need to pay the most to keep their homes really
warm. Age Concern organisations aim to help older people with a range of winter services,
advice and support, including befriending services, luncheon and day club services,
emergency heater loans and advice on repairs.
The Fight the Freeze website,
www.fightthefreeze.org.uk includes more information about the campaign and will have a running figure
of the funds raised and how the money is being spent.
People wishing to donate
their foreign coins can visit any of these stores to make their deposits: Alliance and
Leicester, Bank of Scotland, Britannia Building Society, Halifax, Northern Rock, Skipton
Building Society and Travelcare and participating Age Concern shops.
If you have any comments on this
edition of Talkback, please email me: helen@laterlife.com |
Talkback is a regular
feature in laterlife.com run by journalist and author Helen Franks. 
