The digital charity box Pennies has announced that it has raised £1 million in donations for Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) since it started operating seven years ago.
Charity Digital News reported on the milestone, explaining that Pennies works by allowing customers at a number of retailers to round up the amount they pay and send the small change to charities, such as GOSH.
The children’s hospital is one of the first charities to break the £1 million mark through donations from Pennies.
Medical equipment, refurbishment work and research are among the things that the money will go towards, the news provider revealed.
Director of corporate partnerships at GOSH Children’s Charity Amit Aggarwal commented: “Your donations have shown that pennies really do add up and this fantastic £1 million donation will make a huge difference to the seriously ill children who are treated at Great Ormond Street Hospital.”
Before Christmas, the Edinburgh Children’s Hospital Charity (ECHC) called on people who want to send treats to children undergoing treatment to instead donate money.
UK Fundraising reported on the plea from hospital bosses, who revealed that they normally get sent far more chocolate than they can distribute during the festive period, but would benefit greatly if the money spent on sweets was instead donated.
Community fundraiser at ECHC Sue Diamond explained that “even small amounts of money add up and can go towards providing fantastic pieces of medical equipment that will transform treatment”.
Of course, it isn’t only buying the right equipment that costs hospitals money. They also need to ensure it remains in good working order, which means regularly carrying out medical equipment calibration and testing.