Shoppers at Lidl GB have donated a combined £481,000 to the Childline service operated by children’s charity NSPCC.

These fundraising efforts were made possible thanks to a microdonations system developed by fintech company Pennies and rolled out across tills at nationwide UK Lidl stores.

Donations of up to 30p are facilitated at Lidl checkouts when customers willing to donate go to pay for their shopping. Donations are made via Lidl card machines.

Lidl is Britain’s first supermarket chain to roll out Pennies across the country. Since partnering with Pennies last year, Lidl’s micro donation efforts have resulted in £1 million being raised for Childline.

Lidl GB CEO Ryan McDonnell, who has previously visited Childline’s offices to learn about the difference microdonations are making to the charity and the children it supports, applauded customers and staff for supporting the Pennies initiative.

“Thank you to all the volunteers who turn that generosity into life-changing support for children,” he said. “Seeing the impact up close, I felt immensely proud of what we’re achieving together.”

Even before implementing a digital donation system, Lidl had been helping raise donations for NSPCC for the best part of a decade via money collection tins located at its stores.

Originally partnering with NSPCC in 2017, Lidl GB has raised more than £10 million for the charity. Besides customer donations, Lidl has also supported NSPCC financially through staff fundraising initiatives, corporate sponsorship and events.

Lidl is currently aiming to hit a new NSPCC fundraising target of £5 million by the end of this decade to support the charity in increasing the reach of its overnight phone line service.

The charity hopes to double the number of children and young people who contact its overnight call handlers to 100,000.

Chris Sherwood, CEO at NSPCC, added: “Every day, we witness how small acts of kindness can create extraordinary change. The generosity shown through micro‑donations doesn’t just fund our work - it fuels hope for children who need it most.

“We are deeply grateful to our partners, like Lidl GB, and to their colleagues and customers, whose unwavering commitment ensures this impact reaches communities nationwide. Together, we’re proving that when many people give a little, we can achieve something truly remarkable.”

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