Imperial (1) 1960s

Photo from Folkestone Gazette

Folkestone Gazette 15-9-1965

Local News

A pile of pennies, which had taken nearly three years to grow, came crashing down at the Imperial Hotel, Black Bull Road, Folkestone, on Saturday night. It took a hefty push from two pretty young ladies, Miss Folkestone, 23-year-old Maurine Irving, and her immediate predecessor, Miss Valerie Atkins, to send the pile of 6,984 pennies - £29 2s. – crashing.

Afterwards, Mrs. Pamela Scott, wife of the licensee, Mr. Dennis Scott, said “There were pennies here, there and everywhere. Now we have started a new pile and it is already growing quite well”. The pile was just a few inches high when when Mr. And Mrs. Scott first took over the hotel when they came to Folkestone from London two and a half years ago. “It was good to see the pile mounting up month by month”, said Mrs. Scott. “Now we are looking forward to seeing the next one reach the top”.

Mr. A. Whitcombe was there to receive the money on Saturday, on behalf of the Spastics Society.

Not all the money in the pile was donated by hotel patrons. A group of local youngsters heard that the pile was in aid of spastic children and played their part.

“It was amazing really”, said Mrs. Scott. “The first we heard was that they had got together and arranged a jumble sale of some of their toys.

Then they came to the hotel and asked us to add nearly £3 in coppers to the pile. It was the amount they had raised at the sale”.

The children are Susan An­drews, aged eight, Carol Hart, aged nine, and Mary Hart, aged 11.