PEOPLE living in the North of England are the most generous in Britain, according to a new survey.

Caring Together, an organisation aiming at getting people to donate money regularly through payroll giving, has revealed that 88 per cent of those in the North have made a donation to charity in the last year, compared with 87 per cent in the midlands and 85 per cent in the south.

The survey also revealed that 57 per cent of northerners would give some of their winnings to charity if they won £500,000 on the National Lottery, compared with 51 per cent in the south.

The average donation given to charity by people in the UK is more than £10 a year, with 41 per cent of givers donating money once a month or even once a week. The results also showed that most people give money on a one-off basis rather than regularly.

Cathy Sullivan of Caring Together said: "By giving to charity regularly, charities are provided with an all-important regular income, giving them that little bit more stability.

"Payroll giving is an ideal way to support charities close to your heart, and by changing donation habits slightly, people could be giving their favourite charities an even bigger boost," she said.

Employees who give money straight from their payroll do not pay tax on their charity gift, meaning the charity receives more.

Until April 2003, the Government has also agreed to increase any donations by ten per cent.