Bank of Valletta and the L-Istrina organisers yesterday launched the fourth edition of the BOV L-Istrina campaign for charity.

The bank will be making available 7,000 piggy banks to be distributed to all schools and a number of retail outlets, to collect donations for this year's campaign.

The campaign, involving some 65,000 children, was launched at San Anton School, in Mgarr under the patronage of the President's wife, Mary Fenech Adami. She was accompanied by Michael Galea, head of the CEO's office at BOV, and Gordon Pace, co-ordinator of the L-Istrina campaign.

"Over the last three years, since its inception, the BOV L-Istrina Campaign has raised Lm70,000. This underlines the popularity of the piggy bank campaign that has become an annual event eagerly awaited by all schoolchildren around the island," said Mr Galea.

"The large piggy banks that tour the island during the campaign have become synonymous with this fund raising activity. We are proud to be part of such an important fund raising initiative and look forward to another successful campaign," said Mr Galea.