A FATHER of two from Ramsbottom is ensuring that good causes across the globe feel the net benefit of his work.

Gareth Ford-Williams, of St Andrew's Close, is the driving force behind a new website which allows people to gain cash for charities at the touch of a button.

The 33-year-old marketing consultant has linked a string of Internet "free donation sites" so that they can all be accessed from one web address. Sites are sponsored by advertisers who make donations to a charity whenever an address is accessed.

Beneficiaries of the various sites include the United Nations World Food Programme and a range of environment, medical and education charities.

Several addresses that benefit a particular cause can be visited at once with the new Make that Difference site.

Gareth said: "The problem is that the these types of site are scattered all over the place. I thought it would be a nice idea to link them together in one place so that people could go somewhere online for a few minutes every day and make a big difference.

"You can raise a lot of money in less time. That's the point."

Virtual visitors are given a menu of options about causes they may be interested in.

Gareth designed the site in his spare time after being asked by his six-year-old daughter why people went hungry and rainforests were chopped down.

He said: "How do you explain that even mummy and daddy and the police can't stop it from happening? It was just my way of giving something back and I've had emails from charities all over the place wanting to know how they can get involved."

The site address is: www.makethatdifference.com