I picked up £50k in 5p pieces

Hospice volunteer Ian, 70, sets a target to collect 1 million coins

THRIFTY hospice volunteer Ian Watt has managed to amass nearly £50,000 – in 5p pieces.

The retired technologist, 70, has honed his eagle eye and never walks past any little silver coins in the street.

Having started in 2004 following a joke from his granddaughter – who asked him to “give me five” – Ian has collected almost a million coins.

Every one of them, which adds up to £47,700 so far, has been donated to St Cuthbert’s Hospice in Durham where he works as a volunteer.

Former Dunlop tyres worker Ian, of Great Lumley, Co Durham, said: “I realised how much people can collect in change when they bring it into the hospice.

“I just started picking up 5ps QUEST Dedicated Ian Watt wherever I found them. It’s incredible how many I managed to gather, soon people started helping me out and picking them up for me. “I love them, I never miss one, and I never drop change down the back of the couch.’ “I’ve reached 954,000, the million is very much in sight.” A hospice spokesman said: “He’s an inspiration to us.”