A new fund-raising initiative by leading banks and mobile phone operators will enable millions of people to donate to BBC’s Children In Need throughout November without it costing a penny.

The credit crunch is affecting everyone and that includes charities. But during November it is possible to make a donation to the Children In Need appeal at no extra cost to the public.

Every time a prepay mobile phone is topped-up at a participating ATM, leading banks and mobile phone operators, along with payment transaction specialist VocaLink, will donate 5p to Children In Need. There are around 47 million live prepay mobile phones in the UK; if each prepay mobile phone is topped-up at an ATM just once in November, over £2m could be raised for the cause.

The more this ATM service is used during November the more money banks and mobile phone operators will be able to give to charity.