MALVERN Rotary Club is organising a “mile of pennies” in memory of a former club member who passed away in August.

Dr Alex Brown died in August, aged 94, having been a Malvern Rotarian since the mid-1950s.

He had suggested that the club should organise a fund-raiser of this nature, and so Rotarians decided to introduce The Alex Brown Mile of Pennies in his memory. The club hopes to collect a mile of pennies and a mile of two-pennies to raise money for various Rotary projects to benefit young people.

These include its annual schools public speaking competition and poetry competition, and supporting Scouts, Guides and Malvern Young Gymnasts. A scheme that saw 150 illustrated dictionaries distributed to youngsters in Malvern will also be repeated next year.

It will take precisely 4,224 one-pence pieces and 5,280 two-pence pieces to cover a mile, and the Rotary Club is calling for the public’s support to reach those targets.

Individuals, schools, pubs, clubs and businesses can all collect coins and then contact Rotary to have them collected by calling 01684 578547 or 01684 565439.

Alternatively, coins can be taken along to a public event on Friday and Saturday, December 11-12, when the coins will be laid out at Malvern Retail Park, where there will also be a board showing the progress.

Rotary spokesman Sandy Gibson said: “This is the first time, certainly in recent memory, that we have organised something like this and hopefully it will be something that attracts a good deal of public support.”