Once renowned for our generosity, we are turning into a nation of Scrooges

As fewer of us are willing to part with our cash, charities fear they will not be able rely on this festive season to refill their bank accounts

- Martha Gill

Brits like to think of themselves as a nation of givers. By international standards, they're right. Since rankings began in 2009, the Charities Aid Foundation (CAF) has tended to put the UK among the world’s most generous countries. From church halls and food banks to office collections to Red Nose Day, altruism is woven into British life.

But things are changing for the worse. Fewer people are donating, and parts of the system that quietly pushed them into it have been allowed to erode. Charities worry that this Christmas, when they usually get their biggest haul, might be a disappointment.

Brits may be unusually saintly... or maybe we are particularly keen on recording our good deeds. Charity is uniquely formalised, catalogued and regulated here. Elsewhere, there may be just as many people popping round to feed their elderly neighbours or donating to their local community centre — but we are less likely to know about it.