Nearly £500million old pound coins remain down the back of sofas and in piggy banks even though they cease to be legal tender from today

  • We are asking readers to generously give them to Make-A-Wish Foundation UK 
  • The charity supports youngsters who endure gruelling treatment in hospitals
  • If you don't have any old pound coins, you can donate online, by text message

By Tom Kelly for the Daily Mail

Published: | Updated:

Nearly half a billion old £1 coins remain in pockets, purses and piggy banks even though they cease to be legal tender today.

With the Treasury saying 450 million of the coins are still in circulation, more than a third of people surveyed said at least half the pounds in their possession were the old round ones rather than their 12-sided replacements. 

But those leftover coins can be donated to help make dreams come true for seriously ill children in the Mail's Quids For Kids campaign.

How your £1 coins could make a child's Christmas wish come true: With the Mail's appeal, you can help desperately ill children like him - by taking your coins to Nationwide

Nearly half a billion old £1 coins remain in pockets, purses and piggy banks even though they cease to be legal tender today 

We are asking readers to generously give them to Make-A-Wish Foundation UK, to help some of the 20,000 young people who are fighting cancer and other life-threatening conditions.

The charity supports youngsters who endure gruelling treatment and have to spend long periods in hospital away from family and friends. Those granted a wish have starred in their own films, swum with dolphins and met their heroes.

The Mail has partnered with Nationwide Building Society, which will take old £1 coins for the charity until December 20.

Just hand them to the cashier at any Nationwide branch, saying you wish to give them to the Mail's Quids For Kids Make‑A-Wish Foundation UK appeal.

You can also make extra donations there. If you don't have any old pound coins, you can donate online, by text message, or by cheque (see below).

Some 37 per cent of respondents in a weekend poll of 500 people said half or more of the coins in their wallet were the old design and a fifth said they had more old coins than new.

The replacement 12-sided £1 coins are said to be the most secure ever made with a host of design features meant to stop them being copied. An army of engineers has been modifying machines to accept the new coins as part of a process that will cost more than £100 million.

A spokesman for the Royal Mint said of today's cut-off date: 'The overwhelming majority of businesses tell us they are ready, and the small minority who choose to keep accepting the old coin, after it ceases to be legal tender, will have to make their own arrangements to deal with these.'

Five easy ways to donate: The Daily Mail's giving £50,000 to get the ball rolling - here's how to join us 

You can donate to our appeal in the following ways, until December 20, 2017:

1 Take your old round pound coins to any Nationwide branch (locations can be found at: nationwide.co.uk/branch-finder). Hand them to the cashier and state you wish to donate them to the Mail’s Quids For Kids Make-A-Wish UK appeal. You can donate any cash (sterling) you like, too.

2 To send a cheque, firstly write your name, address and postcode on a piece of paper. Then make your cheque payable to Make-A-Wish Foundation UK, writing ‘Daily Mail’ on the back. Send both together to: Quids For Kids Appeal, Make-A-Wish Foundation UK, 329-331 London Road, Camberley, Surrey GU15 3HQ.

3 To pay online using your bank card, or via PayPal, visit: makeawish.org.uk/dailymail and follow the instructions.

4 You can text a donation of £5 by sending the message MAIL005 to 70070. Terms and conditions apply (visit justgiving.com/info/terms-of-service).

5 For online banking or telephone banking transfers, use the details below, and add the reference ‘Daily Mail’:

PAYEE NAME: Make A Wish UK

SORT CODE: 30-91-53

ACCOUNT NUMBER: 02844037

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