A PENSIONER who set herself a coin-collecting challenge is calling on others to join her fundraising mission.
Gwen Martin started collecting 20 pence pieces in April this year to mark the 20th anniversary of Kirkwood Hospice.
Her original aim was to gather 20 metres as part of the Hospice’s 20/20 Challenge – which has seen fundraisers taking part a host of events this year involving the number 20.
Now, 2,000 coins later, the 71-year-old has reached 40 metres – the equivalent of £400.
And she is hoping to carry on collecting to double her fundraising efforts.
She said: “I could have run, cycled or walked 20 miles, but that wasn’t my cup of tea.
“Collecting 20m of coins was something I could manage, so I decided to do that.”
Gwen, who lives in Gomersal, has been a hospice volunteer since 1984, serving on the committees of support groups in both Heckmondwike and Cleckheaton.
She also volunteers at the Dalton centre every Thursday and is a member of the Gomersal Women’s Institute.
She said: “I was going to lay the coins on a table at an event or something but was worried someone might pinch a few.
“Then one of the ladies at the WI suggested I stitched two pieces of ribbon together and make slots for the coins, so that’s what I did.
“To collect all this is fantastic. But I didn’t do it all myself.”
The Nook Independent Church in Cleckheaton helped fill eight metres of her ribbons with coins, as well as members of the Gomersal WI and her local golf club.
Now she hopes local school children will join her challenge to raise even more cash for Hospice funds.
She added: “We did hope to get children doing it – even if they only do £10, it’ll be worth it. And if we got every school in Kirklees doing it, that would be fantastic.
“Hopefully teachers might hear about it and think it is a good idea.”
Anybody wanting to take part in Kirkwood Hospice’s 20/20 Challenge is asked to call Garry Wilkinson at the Hospice on 01484 557910.
