PENSIONER, Joyce Edwards, knows the importance of counting her pennies after donating a massive £50 in coppers to Operation Covert.

The Bewdley resident and her son, Bruce Edwards, kept their spare change in a giant whisky bottle and, after reading about our appeal, decided to hand the cash to the Scouts.

Joyce said: "It is for the kids. It wasn't their fault what happened. It was some lunatics with no sense and it annoyed me, so I thought we would give it to the kids."

Mr Edwards said the cash had been collected over the past two years after the bottle - the kind used in pubs - was bought at a car boot fair.

He said: "It is a good cause and we thought it would be ideal to support when we saw that the bottle was full."

Their efforts were a perfect example of how charity begins at home, said Shuttle/Times and News editor, Clive Joyce.

He said: "Every little helps in an appeal like this and it shows that small amounts of change can add up to a significant contribution.

"Perhaps some pubs or businesses might think about having a box for small change so people can donate to Operation Covert.

"We would be happy to provide boxes to go on counters for anyone who would like to support us."