Devon charities scoop share of £120,000 festive financial boost

Five charities based in Devon have received a £1,000 Christmas gift thanks to the Benefact Group.

The charities were nominated to win a share of £120,000 by members of the public as part of the Benefact Group’s annual 12 days of giving Christmas campaign.

Animals in Distress (Torbay and West Country), which supports abandoned animals by finding new homes for them, and Kingscare League of Friends, a patient support group running activities to help residents (see notes for full list1), are among the local charities set to benefit from the money following overwhelming public support in the area.

Over 5,300 Devon residents nominated a cause close to their hearts, with 3,500 charitable causes in the area receiving votes. The 120 winning charities across the UK were picked at random from those nominated.

Thanking supporters in Devon, Mark Hews, Group Chief Executive of Benefact Group, said: “Charitable giving is at the heart of our business at the Benefact Group. We are delighted to be giving back to deserving charitable causes once more with our annual 12 days of giving Christmas campaign, part of our Movement for Good Awards. In these challenging times, we know that £1,000 can make a real difference and we’re looking forward to seeing how this festive financial boost will changes lives for the better and bring a positive start to 2023.

“Out of some five million companies in the UK, we are the fourth largest corporate donor* and have an ambition to be the largest. As a Group of financial service businesses, uniquely owned by a charity, all available profits go to good causes, and the more our loyal customers support us to grow, the more the Group can give. As a company, our purpose is to contribute to the greater good of society and, together, we can help many good causes to continue their support for those who need it most in these difficult times.”

A representative from Animals in Distress (Torbay and West Country) said: “Here at Animals in Distress Torbay and West Country we home dogs, cats, rabbits, and guineapigs in South Devon. Thank you so much for the £1,000, it really will help our animals this winter.”

The full list of the 120 charity winners is available to view online at www.movementforgood.com/12days