more than 6,000 Skipton Building Society savers have raised in excess of £300,000 for the children's charity the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, by investing in the NSPCC Mini Cash ISA.

That leaves the society well on course to smash the £500,000 10-year target originally set.

In fact, as the 2001/2002 tax year draws to a close, a staggering £130,000 has been raised for the charity in that period alone.

Skipton's NSPCC Mini Cash ISA was launched in April 1999 and money is raised by customers forgoing just 0.50 per cent of the rate of interest they receive on their account, which is then donated to the NSPCC's FULL STOP campaign, at the end of each tax year.

For every single customer who invests the full amount into Skipton's NSPCC Mini Cash ISA over the next seven years, the NSPCC stands to gain over £360, proving that one person really can make a difference.

Wendy Hawk, account manager at the NSPCC, said: "Skipton's NSPCC Mini Cash ISA has done fantastically well in raising vital funds for our charity and I'm sure it will continue to do so. Sadly, the need for the services of the NSPCC is as great as ever, as one to two children are killed by their parents or carers every week.

"Thanks to our partnership with Skipton, and the generous help of their savers, we can continue to work towards creating a society where every child has someone to turn to."

Steve Aldous, general manager sales and marketing at the building society, added, "This outstanding sum raised by Skipton savers over the last three tax years has far exceeded our expectations.

"The NSPCC is under constant pressure to raise money to protect children and this ISA provides a simple platform for savers to do so, as not only will they benefit from tax free interest on their savings, but at the same time they will make a donation to a very worthwhile cause."