JUST under £700,000 was donated to more than 450 charities in 2022 thanks to people donating in memory of their loved ones.

The donations were made via a free online memorials feature offered by Southern Co-op's funeral care homes including 26 in Hampshire.

Three Hampshire-based causes which received the most donations were Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance which received 185 donations totalling £8,077, Rowans Hospice which had 961 donations totalling £50,853, and St Michael's Hospice which received 385 donations totalling £16,764.

Claire McGinty, client experience and aftercare manager at Southern Co-op, said: "Each and every one of these donations is thanks to an individual who is grieving for a loved one. This is an incredibly generous thing to do and will clearly make a significant difference to all the causes that have benefitted.

"This is possibly even more touching at the moment when a lot of charities are struggling and need all the support they can get. Thank you to all those who donated."

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Other Hampshire charities to benefit included Countess of Brecknock Hospice, Hampshire Asbestos Support & Awareness Group, Mountbatten Hampshire, Oakhaven Hospice, Phyllis Tuckwell, Portsmouth Hospitals Charity, Solent Mind, The Rosemary Foundation, Hospice at Home, and Wessex Cancer Trust.

The donations were made by people via The Co-operative Funeralcare locations in Alton, Andover, Basingstoke, Bedhampton, Bishops Waltham, Cosham, Cowplain, Emsworth, Fareham, Farnborough, Fleet, Gosport, Havant - Leigh Park, Hayling Island, Liss, Portsmouth - Copnor, Eastney, Fratton, North End, Paulsgrove, and Rowner, Waterlooville, Whitchurch and Widley, as well as J Edwards Funeral Directors in Waterlooville and A Monger Funeral Directors in Basingstoke.

James Young, the individual giving fundraiser at St. Michael's Hospice, said: "We want to say thank you to everyone who donated in memory of a loved one and helped raise an incredible £16,764.34 for St. Michael's Hospice.

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"These funds will help us provide free compassionate care to our patients and their families across North Hampshire. Thank you so much, we simply can't do what we do without the kindness and generosity of our supporters."

Over the last three years, a total of £2,082,095 was donated by families across the south of England via the free online tribute service offered by Southern Co-op. The platform, supplied by MuchLoved, enables donations to any UK-registered charity with no subscription fee which means many small charities can receive vital funding thanks to the generosity of your communities choosing to donate in memory of their loved ones.