Edinburgh Dog and Cat Home had only just started accepting the digital donations

A charity received a welcome surprise when it received its first ever donation in digital currency.

Edinburgh Dog and Cat Home is celebrating the receipt of their first cryptocurrency donation, which has been valued at over £26,000.

The home launched its platform for cryptocurrency donations just last week and were shocked when, within days, the generous donation came through.

The sizeable donation was made anonymously via The Giving Block website, in the Ethereum (ETH) currency.

Karlyn Robertson, development manager, thanked the unknown donor and explained the impact on the home’s work.

She said: “We wish we could thank this donor in person but instead we would like to send them a message – I hope you know how much this is appreciated and what it means to us. The home is entirely funded by donations and your generosity will go a long way to helping us keep our animals fed, sheltered and having the veterinary care they need.

“Cryptocurrency donations are new area for the home but it’s amazing to see this take off so quickly and what a huge impact it can have on the care of our dogs and cats. It comes at the perfect time for us when other income streams like in-person events have been disrupted, so we couldn’t be more grateful for this lifeline.”

Cryptocurrencies are systems that allow for secure payments online which are denominated in terms of virtual "tokens," and there are already thousands of variations on the market.

In the first week since launching, the home has received multiple other generous donations, in a range of cryptocurrencies, from Bitcoin (BTZ) to Tezos (XTZ). Other currencies accepted on The Giving Block platform include Amp (AMP), Basic Attention Token (BAT), Bitcoin Cash (BCH), ChainLink (LINK), Dai (DAI), Dogecoin (DOGE), The Graph (GRT), Gemini Dollar (GUSD), Litecoin (LTC), Storj (STORJ), UMA (UMA), Zcash (ZEC), 0x (ZRX) and 1inch (1INCH).

It costs Edinburgh Dog and Cat Home around £2m a year in running costs, as it works to rescue, reunite and rehome stray and unwanted pets across East of Scotland. The home also works within the local community to tackle pet poverty and keep animals in loving homes.

To find out more about cryptocurrency donations for Edinburgh Dog and Cat Home, visit its Cryptocurrency page.