BRENTWOOD has been named one of the most generous towns in the UK by charity donation page Just Giving.

The town came fourth on the list, which said that between May 2013 and May this year, 21,627 people from town gave £750,509 via the fundraising website, which equates to nearly a third of Brentwood’s population.

The Weekly News wanted to know why Brentwood and its residents were so generous, so asked some local figures for their thoughts.

Mayor Vicky Davies is often seen out and about at charity and community events. She said the people of of Brentwood “are special”.

She added: “Brentwood has a large community of unsung heroes. People care for the community and they care for others.

“The amount of volunteer work that is done in the town is amazing, and you always see a core group of people at the various events around Brentwood.

“We are very blessed because we have a large number of people who are in a position where they want to give something back and get involved with the community.”

Tony Robinson is a senior mental health worker and the charity Mind said it was nice that Brentwood has been recognised as a place where people give generously.

He said: “There are a lot of community events going on in the town, and lots of charities that are deserving of support from the public.

“People like to get out and support charities that are local, like us and St Francis Hospice. I think people are more willing to give to charities that can make an impact in their local community.”