Generous Scots denied charity league accolade in charity

A statistical quirk has robbed the Scots of the opportunity of throwing off their traditional stereotype of meanness.

Although the people of Buxton in Derbyshire are revealed today to be Britain's most generous charity-givers, the Highlanders of Argyll and Bute on Scotland's west coast have been denied the accolade because statisticians thought too few of them were asked.

The benevolent of Buxton and the altruistic of Argyll were among those questioned in a new survey of Britain's charity- givers.

The market analysis and information firm CACI found that people living in west Derbyshire are nearly four times as likely as the rest of the country to give upwards of 50p per week to charity.

While people in top-of-the league Buxton - 53.4 per cent give more than £26 a year to charity - may feel a warm glow of pride, their near neighbours in Bolsover may be in for some ribbing over their placing at the bottom of the pile. Only 3.7 per cent of its residents give more than 50p per week.

The survey claims to have used the latest statistical sampling techniques, incorporating census data cross-referenced to analysis from the British Institute of Market Research.

While middle-class Conservative constituencies such as Epping Forest in Essex, High Wycombe in Buckinghamshire, and Kensington and Chelsea in central London hold premier league charity status, the former mining communities of Derbyshire and Durham have emerged as bottom-of-the-league meanies.

The survey showed that only 13.7 per cent of the nation as a whole gave more than 50p a week.

Charles Cohen, a spokesman for CACI, revealed that people in parts of Scotland may have reason to feel hard done by.

"Although no Scottish constituency appears in either our top or bottom 10, the statisticians rejected a figure for Argyll and Bute [which showed 58.3 per cent giving more than 50p per week] that would have put them top of the league," Mr Cohen said.

"The same statistical quirk also hit the islanders of Skye. Their 49.7 per cent would have ranked them third."

He said that because of "insufficient sampling in some low-populated areas of Scotland" it was decided to exclude the figures from the final league tables.

With many people throughout the country today taking part in the now established "red nose" Comic Relief charity appeal - which places emphasis on overseas aid - the CACI survey reveals that international aid charities are the least popular cause for regular givers.

According to the survey only one in 13 people in the United Kingdom is ever tempted to contribute to overseas aid.

This compares with one in five members of the British public who give something to child-related causes every year, and one in 10 who donate to animal welfare.

Top ten givers

% of adults giving more than £26 a year to charity

1 Buxton (W Derbyshire) 53.4%

2 Epping Forest 45.2%

3 High Wycombe 43.5%

4 Richmond (N Yorkshire) 40.2%

5 Caradon (Cornwall) 39.6%

6 Woking 38.7%

7 Kensington & Chelsea 37.5%

8 Glanford (Humberside) 36.1%

9 Islington 35.3%

10 Pembroke (Dyfed) 34.7%

Bottom ten givers

1 Bolsover (Derbyshire) 3.7%

2 Easington (Co Durham) 3.8%

3 Glyndwr (Clwyd) 3.8%

4 Maldon (Essex) 3.9%

5 Rotherham 4.0%

6 Great Grimsby 4.0%

7 Rhymney Valley 4.0%

8 Chelmsford 4.0%

9 Newport 4.2%

10 Burnley 4.3%