Skipton Building Society opens account to help flooded communities

A dedicated charity account to help flood victims has been opened by Skipton Building Society.

The money raised will help communities affected by the recent flooding, including those in Yorkshire, Lancashire and Cumbria, the Society said.

People do not have to be a customer of Skipton Building Society to donate to the account and donations can be made in any of Skipton's 95 branches or by calling Skipton direct on 0345 8501722, with people stating they wish to donate to the flood appeal.

The Society, whose head office is in North Yorkshire, said it will manage the account and it plans to split the money raised between the areas affected by the flooding.

Skipton branches located in flood-hit communities are also accepting donations of items, which staff will take to flood distribution centres.

Items being accepted include blankets and bedding; cleaning materials such as cloths, brushes, mops, buckets, bins and heavy duty rubbish bags; dried and tinned food; and clothing, especially children's clothing.

Rebecca Willey, a spokeswoman for Skipton Building Society, said: "We want to help those who have suffered in their communities from the recent flooding."

Skipton is the UK's fourth biggest building society, with more than 820,000 members.