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Spending a penny cash find donated to Katharine House
17/06/2020
Pile of coins discovered during demolition of public toilets
Work to demolish a derelict public convenience next to Banbury Town Hall has uncovered an unusual find thanks to people who have spent a penny there over the years.
As workers from the Banbury-based contactors Hawkins undertook the demolition they discovered a pile of ten pence coins which had fallen through a gap in the coin collection box. When counted the find totalled £61.
Cherwell District Council has donated the cash to Katharine House Hospice, which provides specialist palliative care for adults with life-limiting conditions. The council chairman, Councillor David Hughes, has added £100 to the contribution and Hawkins is donating another £100.
Councillor Hughes said: “This was an unusual find by our contractors and although it is a small sum of money, these are really 610 small donations from the generous local people who had used the facility, to Katharine House.
“The hospice is one of my chosen charities for my term as chairman because I know how valued their work is in Banbury and the wider community. That fundraising work has had to be paused because of the coronavirus restrictions so I am pleased that these donations can go their way at this time and look forward to supporting them more in future.”
Laura Horton, partnerships and philanthropy manager at Katharine House Hospice, said: “The team at Katharine House Hospice were amazed to hear about this unusual find. With all sorts of fundraising activities cancelled for 2020, we were delighted to be the benefiting charity for this donation, and grateful to Councillor Hughes for showing his personal support too. It is heart-warming to know that people are still thinking of our nursing, medical, catering and domestic teams in these very difficult times.”
The Council decided to demolish the toilet unit following the new public convenience opening in the Castle Quay shopping centre. The space created will be used for a new pitch for a street trader.
Published: by Banbury FM Newsteam