`That’s no small change! Yorkshire Coinstar Customers Help Raise Over £1 Million for Cancer Research UK
Over a 19-year partnership with Coinstar, their donations, which passed the million mark this month, are helping to fund research to beat cancer sooner and help more men, women and children in and across Yorkshire and the UK survive.
Receiving the landmark gift from Coinstar’s customers on behalf of Cancer Research UK, demonstrated by a giant £1 million coin, was cancer survivor Tina Angell, who herself has collected thousands of pounds for the charity since being diagnosed with bowel cancer in 2003.
Coinstar, a world leader in self-service coin counting, operates a network of nearly 2,000 machines conveniently located in supermarkets across the UK. Customers can easily take unsorted change to the machine where it is reliably counted and converted into a voucher that can be exchanged for cash or used towards shopping.
And thanks to Coinstar’s ‘Coins that Count Programme’, consumers can choose to donate their coins directly to charity, resulting in the £1 million already raised for Cancer Research UK.
In Yorkshire alone, over £77,000 was raised towards the total, with a highest single donation transaction of £764.25.
Tina, now 41, was just 24 years old when told she had bowel cancer. She had experienced 18 months of being unwell following the birth of her son, Jake. Tina had visited her doctor many times and had numerous tests, but results were inconclusive. But her health continued to decline, and it wasn’t until she became so unwell, she ended up in hospital and exploratory surgery finally revealed what was really wrong.
Tina, who is an A&E nurse, said: “I remember the consultant’s exact words – ‘We’ve had the results back and I’m so very sorry to say its cancer’. I wasn’t prepared for that news. I burst into tears. Just hearing the word cancer was devastating. I couldn’t believe what was happening to me. I was only 24 with a toddler to look after. I was scared that cancer was about to take everything away from me.”
But the good news is that after surgery and finishing five months of chemotherapy, Tina continues to be clear of cancer.
“I am very grateful for research that enabled me to have treatment that saved my life and enabled me to see my son Jake, who is now 19, grow up. Cancer Research UK’s work is at the heart of progress that continues to be made, helping more families, like mine, have a future together.
After her cancer experience, Tina wanted to give something back and became a dedicated fundraiser and ambassador for Cancer Research UK. “Over the years I have done many charity collections and know how much time and effort goes into sorting and counting all the change that the public generously put into our collection tins.
“For fundraisers across Yorkshire, being able to simply take loose change from home, or from a charity collection directly to a Coinstar machine, makes raising money so easy. All you have to do is pour it in the machine and select Cancer Research UK as the recipient on the screen. And with so many Coinstar kiosks in local supermarkets, you can take in the change in evenings and weekends, when most banks are shut anyway.”
She added: “It has been an honour to receive the £1 million pounds on behalf of Cancer Research UK and also to say thank you to Coinstar from all those people, like me, who are still here to enjoy life to the full thanks to research. Here’s to the next million!”
Handing the giant coin to Tina to signify the £1 million milestone, Paul Ogle, Coinstar Country Manager said: “Coinstar is proud to support Cancer Research UK in its vision to bring forward the day when all cancers are cured. Through this collaboration, we aim to make it easy and convenient for consumers to donate to Cancer Research UK and we encourage people across Yorkshire to donate their spare change at one of our Coinstar kiosks near to them.”
Sarah Chappell, Client Relationship Manager at Coinstar, said: “We want to thank all those people who have already used Coinstar to so generously donate their change to Cancer Research UK. Meeting Tina has reminded us all how important the money raised is to those facing cancer, and I will be thinking of her when I take on the Bath Half Marathon for Cancer Research UK this year.”
In the UK, one in two people will be diagnosed with cancer at some point in their lifetime. The good news is, thanks to research, more people are surviving than ever before.
Alana Turnbull, Partnerships Development Lead at Cancer Research UK, said: “We would like to pass on our sincere thanks to Coinstar. Its partnership with Cancer Research UK over the last 19 years has enabled thousands of people in Yorkshire and across the UK to donate their change to Cancer Research UK in such a convenient way. Reaching the £1 million milestone this month really does show that when added together, every penny really does count.
“Survival has doubled in the last 40 years in the UK and Cancer Research UK’s work has been at the heart of that progress. But there is still so much more work to do, that’s why we need to raise even more money to help accelerate that progress and save even more lives.
“So, if anyone has any spare change, remember there is a Coinstar kiosk within 5 miles of 90% of the population, making donations to Cancer Research UK both convenient and easy.”
To locate your nearest machine, visit www.coinstar.co.uk.