CAPTAINS of industry have been challenged to turn £50 into a nice little earner for a great cause.

Kent Air Ambulance has turned normal charitable practice on its head by giving money away instead of holding out the begging bowl.

But it was a handout with a twist. The business people given a £50 windfall are expected to turn it into a juicy profit for the charity. Or, at the very least, they are expected to hand back the £50 in September.

This unusual way of engaging the hearts, minds and longer-term corporate donations of entrepreneurs proved a surprising hit with the hundreds who attended a Come Fly With Me fund-raising event at East Malling Research.

Most are fed up at receiving begging letters all the time, and welcome a chance to test their natural talents to make a good profit.

David Philpott, chief executive of Kent Air Ambulance Trust, said he understood the pressure on business to give, give, give.

He wanted to show there was another way: “We’re not going to ask you for money, we are going to give you an opportunity to prove how good you are as entrepreneurs.”

There was another aim too. “When someone from the Kent Air Ambulance contacts you in future, don’t cringe or block them out with your PA but think, 'OK, there’s an opportunity for us to get involved here,’.” Barrie Etchells, managing director of Belmont International insurance group, Sevenoaks, said it was a great idea.

How much could he raise from his £50? “I’d be disappointed if I couldn’t get to £5,000,” he said.

Dan Ghinn, of Frog Creation, East Sutton, said: “I’m up for it. I would invest it in a new venture and expect to achieve considerable multiplication.”

Paul Firmin, of road haulage company Alan Firmin, Linton, said: “We will come back with more than £50. At least 10 times as much. It’s a very good idea.”

Mike Adams, of Adams Creative, Maidstone, added: “I like the sense of giving something away and saying, 'Go away and make something happen.’ I would expect to make a contribution – it could be in the thousands.”

The business person who makes the biggest return on his or her £50 will win a Charity Entrepreneur of the Year accolade in September.

FACTS AND FIGURES

* Cost of Kent Air Ambulance – £1.5 million a year, £4,000 a day.

* Number of missions flown – 10,000

* Estimated number of lives saved – 400

* Cost of £50 handouts – £5,000 (given by anonymous donor)

* Fund-raising target from handout – £50,000

* Estimated KAA revenue this year – £2.5m

* Plans – extend air ambulance services to Surrey and Sussex

* Number of air ambulance charities in the UK – 16