LAST year I appealed to your readers to take any leftover foreign coins into their local Cancer Research Campaign shop or Boots the Chemist.

We all know what it's like when you come back from holiday with bits of loose change; you promise yourself you'll use it next year but you never do. Instead those francs, pesetas and marks end up in random drawers or jam jars all over the house.

Well, the response has been phenomenal. So far, thanks to your generosity, £90,000 worth of foreign coins have been donated for The Cancer Research Campaign's Foreign Coin Collection, and we're still counting.

Now, The Campaign has asked me to say a big thank you to all your readers who donated coins between June and September. The Campaign's Foreign Coin Collection began six years ago. Since then, a staggering £340,00 has been raised.

This year The Cancer Research Campaign will spend nearly £50m on pioneering new cures and treatments for cancer.

Like most charities, The Campaign receives no government funding so relies entirely on public donations and support from business. And, as the Foreign Coin Collection shows, it is amazing what people power can achieve. The collection will be back at the same time and same places later this year so please continue to donate those left over foreign coins.

Thank you again for helping to make cancer history.

Bill Bryson

Cancer Research Campaign

Upper Parade, Swinton

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.