The Charities Aid Foundation (CAF) handed out more than £702m to charities globally last year, a record for the organisation.

The figures gave been revealed in its 2019/20 annual report that says charities in 110 countries benefitted.

The figure for 2019/20 is £56m more than the previous year.

CAF, which manages donations on behalf of philanthropists, businesses and individuals, says the record tally comes amid financial and political uncertainty over the last financial year.

This includes Brexit negotiations, the UK general election and the start of the Covid-19 pandemic.

CAF chief executive says the figures give him optimism that there will be a continued willingness to give as the health crisis continues.

“Despite a year that ended with uncertainty such as we have never seen in our lifetimes, our community of donors, be they individuals or companies, responded with record levels of generosity,” he said.

“At CAF, we are proud to have facilitated the distribution of those vital funds to so many good causes around the world, especially as many now find themselves in such challenging straits. The numbers in this year’s annual report translate into tangible, vital support for the millions of people who rely on the work of charities.

“The months and indeed years ahead will not be easy ones for both charities and the people they support, but the willingness to give detailed in this year’s report provide a sense of hope that we will be able to recover, rebuild and thrive once again.”

The annual report shows that CAF’s emergency fund paid almost £6.5m to more than 1,250 small UK charities during 2019/20.

In addition, CAF’s online donation service, CAF Donate, processed a record £34.3m for charities.

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