A DORSET cancer charity is urging people not to bin their brogues or trash their T-shirts - because they could be raising thousands of pounds.

CancerCare Dorset is set to get all the money from a pioneering rags to riches recycling scheme, where old textiles are turned into cash.

West Dorset district councillors have decided to back a scheme to put textile recycling bins out to hold the tonnes of old clothes and shoes discarded by households each year.

The charity, which raises cash for a team of nurses to visit cancer sufferers in their own homes, stands to make £80 per tonne.

The money comes from a recycling outfit called the Black Country Rag Company, which will supply the shoe banks and empty them on a regular basis.

The company will also hold a recycling roadshow to promote the scheme.

Tony Frost, Chairman of the district council's Environment Committee said: "We have estimated that CancerCare Dorset could make about £3,200 per year from the scheme, but that could be substantially more if more people dispose of their old textiles this way."

Councillors on the executive committee decided to try the scheme for two years, after which the charity donation will be reviewed.

One of the charity's directors Gillian Walsham said: "We are extremely grateful to West Dorset District Council for choosing to support CancerCare Dorset. Every penny raised in the county is spent in Dorset helping to provide the necessary money to help fund our team of 14 nurses working in the community and in our hospitals, caring for people living with cancer and other terminal illnesses. On behalf of the whole CancerCare Dorset team we would like to wish this project every success."

Gwyn Pritchard, Leader of West Dorset District Council, said: "This is a great way for local people to do that extra bit for the environment and support a charity which does a great deal of good work across Dorset."