Bedford has been crowned the UK’s most generous town, BBC said citing data gathered by donation site JustGiving.
In the year to May 2014, 41,631 people with a Bedford postcode gave a total of £1,145,967 to appeals on the site. JustGiving compiled its list based on the number of givers and the amount donated in relation to populations, the report said.
Richard Fuller, the MP for Bedford & Kempston, told BBC he was “thrilled but not surprised” by the findings, saying it reflected the town’s “solidarity”.
“It’s great to see that sense of personal responsibility to not just look after yourself but to look after others,” he told the BBC.
“What’s distinctive about Bedford is that going back decades now it’s been a very welcoming place for people with different backgrounds.”
The top 10 ranking was determined by calculating how much a town had donated via the site – adjusted to account for the number of donors relative to the population size.
Top 10 ‘most generous’ places in the UK
| Location | Statistics |
|---|---|
| SOURCE: JUSTGIVING. POPULATION SIZES TAKEN FROM OFFICE FOR NATIONAL STATISTICS, AND ADAPTED TO PROVIDE POSTCODE MATCHES (ONS FIGURES ARE GIVEN FOR LOCAL AUTHORITIES, NOT POSTCODE GROUPS). Complied by BBC. | |
| 1. Bedford | 41,631 givers; £1,145,967 raised; population 79,150 |
| 2. Cambridge | 48,295 givers; £1,440,634 raised; population 126,480 |
| 3. Reading | 58,235 givers; £1,711,566 raised; population 159,247 |
| 4. Brentwood | 21,672 givers; £750,509 raised, population 74,460 |
| 5. Woking | 27,646 givers; £921,165 raised; population 99,567 |
| 6. Aberdeen | 58,307 givers; £1,872,610 raised; population 220,420 |
| 7. Cheltenham | 33,381 givers; £976,995 raised; population 115,900 |
| 8. High Wycombe | 31,658 givers; £1,004,113 raised; population 93,736 |
| 9. Watford | 22,643 givers; £737,375 rasied; population 93,736 |
| 10. Bristol | 28,553 givers; £848,674 raised; population 121,723
|