Christmas cards are being ditched for charity as Bradford Council employees sign up for a new festive initiative.

Around 5,000 people who work for the Council have been asked to join an e-mail scheme and donate money they would normally spend on Christmas cards to the Bradford Lord Mayor's Appeal.

Credit Union, which is running the scheme, has invited Council staff to pay a minimum of £3 in return for a certificate and Christmas message on a website for colleagues to see.

Malcolm Hey, manager of Credit Union at Bradford Council, said: "Many people send Christmas cards to people they see every day.

"There are a huge number of cards sent around offices and people spend around £5 buying cards every year.

"We thought this was a good way to avoid huge numbers of Christmas cards being stacked up on people's desks and to raise money for the Lord Mayor's Appeal."

Dozens of people have already signed up to the scheme in support of the Lord Mayor's charities, The Outward Bound Trust and Nell Bank outdoor activities centre in Ilkley. The Lord Mayor, Councillor Allan Hillary, said: "The traditional thing about sending Christmas cards is to remind people you may not see on a frequent basis that you are thinking about them at Christmas.

"We would like people to focus on the people they meet every day at work and consider giving the money they would normally spend on cards to charity to help the young people of this district."

The scheme has already raised £230 with around 40 messages posted on the Credit Union website www.bdcu.co.uk.

Mr Hey said: "The Christmas card season has only just started really so we hope even more people will sign up for the scheme."