Edinburgh named most generous city in the UK - here's how

The lazy old cliché has it that “ye’ll have had yer tea?” is mean-faced Edinburgh’s idea of generosity.

Edinburgh residents have helped raise the thousands needed to keep important community centres such as Gorgie City Farm open to the public.

But now that tired assumption has been truly kicked into touch after it emerged that the Capital is the most generous city in the UK when it comes to putting our hands in our pockets for the country’s biggest crowd-funding website.

GoFundMe has released its annual report which found that Edinburgh is the most generous of all British cities.

The Capital represented Scotland on the list as it was the only Scottish city to make the top ten.

This year the city has seen many individuals set up pages on the online platform to collect cash for causes close to their hearts.

And Evening News readers have been giving generously to these pages, helping keep our community well funded.

In 2019 readers have helped make a disabled schoolgirl’s dream come true by helping fund her own prom after she was left without an end-of-term party to attend.

They have helped raise the thousands needed to keep important community centres such as Gorgie City Farm open to the public.

'Extraordinarily generous'

Euan McGrory, Editor of the Evening News, said: “The results of the GoFundMe research are no surprise to me. The people of Edinburgh and the Lothians are extraordinarily generous.

“We see this every year when we hold our Evening News Local Heroes awards and we see it week in and week out when there are tremendous reactions whenever we publish a story about someone facing adversity and in need of help.

“Whether it is helping to raise £1 million to extend Maggie’s Centre at the Western General or digging deep to save Gorgie City Farm from closure – twice! – the readers of the News have shown their huge generosity time and again.”

The city is well known to the staff at GoFundMe for its strong fundraising community and senior regional manager Dina Rickman said she was “unsurprised” to see Edinburgh claim the top spot.

Council Leader Adam McVey said: “The recognition as the UK’s most generous city is one of the most uplifting accolades our Capital has received and is testament to the amazing community spirit, consideration for others and outward-looking, inclusive world view that Edinburgh is home to.”