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 | | Sunday, 25 November, 2001, 11:58 GMT Charities seek hoarded Irish coins  Irish people only have until 9 February 2002 to cash in their punts Charities in the Irish Republic are banking on a major windfall in the new year, as the country makes the change from punt to euro. A campaign to recover loose change in punts, which becomes obsolete on 9 February next year, has been urging householders to dig deep in an attempt to raise �5m for a range of charities. Special plastic coin bags have been issued to every household in recent days with an appeal for coins that may be stored in jars or bottles as well as the wayward pennies that have fallen down the back of furniture. The official changeover across Europe is 1 January and the government in Dublin has given the country six weeks to dispense with their remaining punts.
Collection kiosks have been installed at banks, shops and other businesses across the country in a bid to reach the charities dream figure. According to the Central Bank in Dublin there are �200m worth of coins in circulation, with up to �28m of that total hoarded. According to a survey conducted by the bank, the most popular place for people to store their coins is in glass bottles, closely followed by jam jars and piggy banks. But people also store coins in vases, tupperware boxes, shoeboxes, biscuit tins and mugs, the survey found. Pennies from Heaven are hoping that of the coins that have been left lying about the house, in drawers and in coat pockets, enough will be donated before they become obsolete to make a real difference. Giles Meyer, a spokesperson for the organisation said: "This is going to touch the lives of basically everybody and we want to make the collection as big as possible to help as many people as possible." | |
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