Well wishers could add £3m to charity coffers
Howard Lake | 30 November 2006 | News
Tourists could be throwing almost £3m a year into wishing wells according to a new report from financial services marketing agency Teamspirit.
The Fountain Money Mountain report says that one in five UK adults spends an annual average of 31p at tourist sites like Rome’s Trevi Fountain – which adds up to just under £3m.
The survey says that some wishing wells and fountains already contribute to charity funds, but others do not. Megan Pacey, director of policy and campaigns at the Institute of Fundraising said: When money is quite literally thrown away into wishing wells and fou tains, it would be to everyone’s benefit if those responsible for the upkeep of such sites could nominate an appropriate UK charity to receive these funds.
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In a separate move Italian charity Caritas says it plans to set up a supermarket for poor people in Rome using the thousands of coins thrown into the Trevi fountain each day. Around £2,000 is thrown into the fountain each day. Families will be given a top-up card by their local councils which they can swap for basic food items at the supermarket in the centre of the city.
About Howard Lake
Howard Lake is consultant editor of UK Fundraising. He founded the site in 1994 and successfully sold it in 2022. As director of Giving X Ltd he is exploring growing giving on a massive scale.
He is the founder of Fundraising Camp and co-founder of GoodJobs.