Jersey charities gave away £284m in 2023 - report

Island charities hold about £2.2bn in assets

Jersey charities gave away £105m more last year than in 2022, according to figures from the charities commissioner.

Last year the island's charities spent a total of £284m compared with £179m in 2022, the figures showed.

The commissioner John Mills estimated island charities hold about £2.2bn in assets in total.

His annual report also revealed the number of registered charities increased to 474 in 2023, up from 457 in 2022.

There were no appeals to the Jersey Charity Tribunal.

'Sheer hustle'

Mr Mills acknowledged challenges, including economic fluctuations, were affecting some charities.

"Keeping charities going is obviously a challenge, not least since income streams are so often uncertain or variable, whether dependent on fund-raising, taxpayers monies, trading receipts or private donation – or all of those, in varying proportions," he said.

"A good deal of the work – and just about all the governance – relies heavily on advocation by volunteers, and thus upon a great deal of personal drive, enthusiasm and commitment by many citizens who wish to seek to make a difference.

"From where I sit I can see the effort, hard work and sheer hustle, if that is the right word, which goes into their making so many of our charities work well in delivering their chosen public benefit."