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LOOSE CHANGE REQUEST FOR PENNIES ON THE PROM

By IsleOfManAdmin on Friday, July 3, 2009
Filed Under: Charity, Isle of Man

Isle News, 3 July 2009 – With one of the most ambitious, mass participation challenges the Island has ever witnessed just days away, a crucial question is being asked – do you have any spare change in your pocket?

That’s the request from organisers of next Sunday’s Pennies on the Prom charity event, where the aim is to lay enough coins to stretch the length of Douglas Promenade. It’s been calculated that in the region of 160,000 coins will be needed to cover the distance from Summer Land to the Sea Terminal.

The record-attempting project has been devised by the Isle of Man Children’s Centre as a unique fund raising initiative. The leading charity organisation is being assisted by the Isle of Man Bank which has been providing in-branch collection points for anyone who wants to donate spare change to the cause.

“Asking a person to handover their spare change isn’t always the easiest thing to do, but given the scale of the challenge we hope that people will throw their support behind what we are aiming to do,” said the IOMCC’s Fundraising Coordinator Michelle O’Malley.

She added that anyone would also be welcome to bring along spare change on the big coin-laying day – Sunday July 12th from 11am to 4pm starting at the Sea Terminal and Summer Land and aiming to meet in the middle.

“It doesn’t necessarily have to be pennies – any coins will be gratefully received. As an example of people’s generosity, I was speaking to a lady in town recently and she said she had some coins she had collected for herself but she had decided instead to give them to us.” Michelle said.

Pennies on the Prom has already captured the imagination of a number of primary schoolchildren across the island who have been staging their own Pennies in the Playground in a build up to the main event.

“The schools’ support has been fantastic,” added Michelle. “All the money already collected from Pennies in the Playground will be put towards Pennies on the Prom. We’re hoping that a lot of the children who have been involved will come along with their families and help lay the coins on the day.”

Meanwhile, pubs, clubs and businesses throughout the island have also provided Pennies on the Prom collection boxes and it’s hoped that the bulk of the cash will have been assembled ahead of the big day next Sunday which will involve scores of volunteers who will be stationed along the mile and three quarter promenade.

But between now and then, the call is to drop any spare change off at one of the Isle of Man Bank’s collection boxes.

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