Chelsea Building Society is asking its members to sign up to a new scheme that could help hundreds of UK charities and good causes.

The Society has joined the Yorkshire Building Society’s unique ‘Small Change Big Difference’ Scheme that enables members to donate the pennies they earn from the interest on their savings accounts they hold with Chelsea Building Society to the Society’s Charitable Foundation.

Signing up to this scheme, members will make a maximum contribution of just 99 pence per year from each of their accounts.

Since the Yorkshire Building Society Charitable Foundation’s creation in 1999 it has given over £4 million of funding – the majority of which has come from the pennies donated through the Small Change Big Difference Scheme.

To celebrate the launch of the new scheme every one of Chelsea Building Society’s 35 branches has chosen a local charity that has a special meaning for them to receive a donation of £1,000. Charities to benefit from the launch of the Scheme include smaller groups such as deaf societies and local hospices to bigger charities such as Age Concern.

Bev Cox, corporate responsibility manager for Chelsea Building Society, said: “I hope lots of members of Chelsea Building Society will sign up to the Small Change Big Difference Scheme. It is a perfect way for us to work with our members to help the smaller charities and good causes throughout the country that often get overlooked for support.