Hi everyone,

It's getting nearer to Christmas 2014 - and that's a time of year we certainly see so many more of having a propensity to donate to a charity.

Our friends over at the Charities Aid Foundation, CAF, got in touch last week with news of a really interesting new infographic that throws up some great insights into the current state of charity giving in the in the United Kingdom.

You can see the whole infographic over at our Guide to Giving section, but for now here's a bunch of facts and stats that really leapt out at us:

• The CAF charity database has more than 160,000 charities listed
   
• One in three people would join a payroll giving scheme if it was offered by their employer
   
• People who don't indicate they are UK tax payers mean UK charities have lost out on £750 million in Gift Aid donations each year - so, please always tick the 'Gift Aid' box when donating if you are a UK taxpayer! You can learn more about Gift Aid here (link to guide to giving page)
   
• 29% of the UK population are currently volunteering some of their spare time to help charities

Please go over to our Guide to Giving section to see the whole infographic :)