Hounslow in west London is the most generous area of the country when it comes to charitable giving, according to new research.
Residents of the London borough give the highest percentage of their average salary to charity, followed by the Isle of Wight, Brighton and another west London borough, Ealing.
The research by the Charities Aid Foundation shows that Hounslow residents give a median donation of £35, compared with £20 on average across the country.
The total amount donated to charity fell from £11.3 billion in 2020 to £10.7 billion in 2021, and there are fears that the current cost of living crisis will see this fall again in 2022.
Around one in eight people are considering cutting back on their donations in the next six months according to the research.
Ealing Southall MP Virendra Sharma welcomed the generosity of his constituents, saying: “Thanks to the donations of people in Ealing, @CAF has found that our area is the 4th most generous place in England and Wales.”
Neil Heslop, chief executive of CAF, said: ”Our new research uncovers the heartening generosity of people in many different areas of England and Wales.
“As we all face financial cost-of-living pressures, we encourage people to carry on giving what they can, or consider supporting in other ways by donating items to charity shops or volunteering, to help charities to continue their vital work helping the most vulnerable in society.“
“Government could also further support charities by introducing measures such as making the Gift Aid process easier, which effectively tops up donations, and ensuring charities benefit from levelling-up funding.”
