A travelling play-bus filled with games, toys and teddies is just one of the projects to benefit from a £10,000 donation made this month to the Howgill Family Centre by Carlisle's Online Systems.

The Kingston telecoms firm was able to bolster the funds of the West Cumbrian charity through a new scheme being pioneered by Online Systems to aid fund-raising bodies and schools.

The scheme provides organisations with mobile phones on which free calls can be made between users - and then pays the charity an annual lump sum to spend as it sees fit.

In the case of Whitehaven-based Howgill Family Centre, the cash will be used to help underwrite a wide range of initiatives which support thousands of carers and children in the region.

Founded thirty years ago as a small nursery group, the charity now runs play schemes, workshops, befriender projects and group events for families required to cope with many different issues.

Now, many of the Centre's sixty paid staff and sixty volunteers carry mobile phones supplied to them by Online Systems, and are able to communicate between each other and its offices at no charge.

It's not just a convenience, says the charity's business officer, Eric Batty. There are also health and safety reasons why workers need to be able to maintain contact when working alone in the field.

The £10,000 boost for the Howgill Family Centre is the amount which would normally be received by Online Systems from the mobile network provider after introducing a new customer.

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However, says Mobile Dept manager Kevin Hennelly, we arranged for this sum to be paid direct to the charity - and will be matched by similar amounts every year from now on.

This is the third year of the arrangement, during which time Online Systems has handed over some £30,000 to the Centre.

Other local organisations are also able to benefit from the scheme, he said, and a number of schools in north Cumbria have already received similar donations over the past year.

"For many bodies, the ability to make free calls between mobiles is often incentive enough - but we are very happy to provide the cash bonus as well to not-for-profit organisations," said Kevin.

"The whole mobile landscape has changed dramatically in recent years with regard to pricing, and we would urge any charity or business to take a look at their existing arrangements if these have not been reviewed recently," he added.

Online Systems, which was formed in 1992, has grown to become the largest independent designer and installer of business telephone systems in the North West.

Meanwhile, the Howgill Family Trust says it will be using part of its donation to support the popular travelling play-bus project. The fun-filled bus brings entertainment for youngsters to enjoy whilst their carers get a well earned rest.