Chance for charities to pocket some cash

charities who used to leave them alone.

“We thought we’d be inundated with requests for help but we haven’t and we know that even small amounts of money can be significant to a small charity. I have met some fantastic people who are working in the most difficult situations helping people in dire need.”

So far the charity, which currently has 120 supporters each donating £1 a week, has given grants to organisations such as the Kirklees & Calderdale Rape and Sexual Abuse Counselling Centre (KRASACC), Colne Valley Addiction Support and Worth Unlimited, which runs cooking clubs and provides holiday meals for children in Lowerhouses.

Ian, who also organises fundraising events, is a member of the 1,000-strong workforce at Cummins Turbo Technologies, a company that supports and expects its employees to take on community work in the fields of education, the environment and social justice.

How much paid time workers can spend on projects is up to their manager’s discretion, but there’s a culture of helping others.

Ian is a former corporate and social responsibility leader at Cummins, a role that he took on for three years and found absorbed increasing amounts of his time.

The Loose Change Charity was a personal project that arose from his work with groups such as KRASACC.

Today it has a small team of trustees and operates at zero cost – Ian set up their website (theloosechangecharity.co.uk) himself and pays for the domain name. It raises about £5,500 a year and aims to attract more supporters willing to make a small but regular donation.

For details of how to contribute or make a grant application go to www.theloosechangecharity.co.uk