Gloucestershire has been named the second most caring place in the UK this August 2024.
Gloucester-based Benefact Group — which administers the Movement for Good Awards and has donated over £200 million to charity in the last 10 years — revealed the list of the top 10 most caring places in the country, with neighbouring Bristol taking the top spot and Gloucestershire a very close second.
The west of England also dominated the rest of the top 10, with Cornwall placing fourth, Herefordshire eighth and Devon ninth.
The list was compiled using data on the nation's charitable giving since 2019 and showed that kind-hearted Gloucestershire folk had submitted nearly 74,000 nominations to the annual Movement for Good Awards over the last five years — amounting to 8.2 per cent of the county's total population.
Movement for Good has awarded more than £5 million to local charities across the UK and Ireland since 2019 — £278,000 of which has gone to 119 different charities in Gloucestershire.
Hashin Norat from Gloucester charity Feed the Hungry, which has benefitted from a donation, said: 'To put a smile on the faces of the people who need it most is why we wake up every day. The money received always goes back into serving our community.
'This may be through the 1,200 free meals served weekly, food parcels, clothing, toiletries, bedding and starter packs. We send our love and hugs to everyone who nominated us. Our pledge to you is to never let you down or ever say no to anyone needing help.'
Benefact Group's chief executive, Mark Hews, added: 'Since we launched the Movement for Good Awards in 2019 it’s been our ambition to donate critical funding to as many charities as we can by asking the public to tell us about the causes they care about the most.
'Thanks to the overwhelming public response it’s allowed the awards to thrive and grow, helping charities to change lives in local communities for the better.
'Every nomination counts but it’s heartwarming to see there are places where people go above and beyond to help the causes they care about most.'
The sixth annual Movement for Good Awards are open for nominations now via the Benefact Group's website.
