Boots has introduced a payroll giving initiative whereby each of its 65,000 staff members can donate to any charity of their choice through a tax-efficient scheme.

As an additional one off gift, Boots will reward each charitable commitment by donating an additional £10 to each employees' charity.

Louise O'Reilly, community affairs manager at Boots, said: "Boots has a natural charitable heritage and we have always tried to ensure that we make useful medium and long term commitments to charities. Payroll giving is the single most useful way for anyone to donate to charities."

The scheme, which will be managed by Workplace Giving UK, will allow staff to donate as little as £3.90 and this will be translated to £5.

All staff who sign up for the scheme will also be entered into monthly prize draws to win up to £250 or an annual prize draw for £1,000.

O'Reilly said: "Once we have completed the launch, we will be making workplace giving an integral part of our induction programme for new staff and will also be using payslip messaging to keep staff up to date with their success. This is all about everyone doing a little to create a huge effect.

"These days more and more employees look at what a company does for a local community or charity and many choose to work for a business that focuses on more than simply making a profit."