One million donations made so far at The Entertainer have helped to improve services for children in hospital

Donating a few pennies when you pay by card at the till point may not seem like much but to children sitting in hospital beds around the country this small action is making a huge difference. Since August 2011 customers paying by card in the Entertainer toyshop stores have been happily popping their virtual spare change into the Pennies charity box. Just 18 months in, we’re excited to announce that they’ve donated a magnificent 1,000,000 times, raising well over £300,000 for charity.

Benefiting from the majority of these donations are four children’s hospitals that use your pennies to help improve health services for children around England.

In the past year and half, these donations have already contributed in a range of ways, from helping to fund arefurbishment of an emergency ward at Birmingham Children’s Hospital to supplying new intensive care cots for babies at Bristol Children’s Hospital. Donations have provided art supplies for children staying a while in Alder Hey Children’s Hospital and Great Ormond Street Hospital Children’s Charity have also benefited, with pennies helping to fund a new kidney centre.

A big thank you goes to customers who have donated at the Entertainer, who should give themselves a well-deserved pat on the back for making such a difference! And don’t forget, every time someone donates at the toy stores, their electronic pennies keep on adding to this pot. Over time, these donations will add up to millions of pounds and make even more of a positive impact on the vital services provided by the hospitals.