Say what you want about this city, but Bristol cares. Whether it’s turning up in their thousands to counter the far-right or voting in its first-ever Green MP, no one could ever deny that Bristolians aren’t often thinking about the bigger issues affecting this country. So who’s surprised to hear that Bristol is the most caring place in the UK?
Data from Benefact Group’s Movement for Good Awards – the country’s leading charitable giving initiative – has recorded the nation’s charitable habits since 2019. Bristol has been crowned the most caring place in the UK, with residents submitting nearly 40,000 nominations to the annual awards over the last five years, which amounts to 8.3% of the area’s total population.
The Movement for Good Awards from the Benefact Group is one of the biggest charitable giving initiatives in the UK. Since 2019 it has recorded more than 1.9million nominations from the British public, awarding more than £5 million to thousands of causes around the UK and Ireland. Now in its sixth year, the Movement for Good Awards is currently looking to give away another £ 1 million to charities you care about.
Meanwhile, Gloucestershire came in a close second with 74,000 nominations, equalling 8.2% of the population. The Isle of Wight comes in third place with 9,300 nominations (7.2% of the population), while Cornwall follows in fourth, with 31, 000 nominations totalling 5.6% of the population. Rounding out the top five is Cheshire, where residents submitted 58,300 nominations ( 5.5% of the city’s population).
Mark Hews, Group Chief Executive of Benefact Group, says: “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. A big thank you to the top five most caring places and in particular the people of Bristol for showing so much support for good causes. Your efforts are helping to ensure local charities receive vital funding which in turn means they can continue their important work in supporting the community.”
“Thanks to all its supporters, Benefact Group has donated over £200 million to charitable causes since 2014 and last year was recognised as the third biggest corporate giver in the UK1. We are striving to reach £250 million in donations by 2025 and invite people to join the movement by nominating a charity, or by using our family of financial services companies who donate their available profits to good causes.”
To celebrate Bristol’s win, the Christmas Steps sign was recently transformed into a giant floral heart to say a huge ‘Thank you’ to the people of this city. The installation, which stood 14 feet high by 13 feet wide, contained thousands of yellow tulips and roses to symbolise giving thanks (which were then given out to local people). To nominate charities close to your heart and potentially help them receive a donation head here.