Residents of Bedford are the most generous people in the UK when it comes to giving money to charitable causes, according to donations platform JustGiving.

The Bedfordshire town gave a total of £1,145,967 in the year to May 2014, with 41, 631 people digging deep into their pockets.

Cambridge came in second place, with £1,440,634 raised by 48,295 people, while Reading was third with £1,711,566 donated by 58,235 people.

The figures were calculated by working out the amount donated and the number of givers in relation to the overall population of the town, thereby explaining why some of the lower ranked towns gave larger amounts.

Richard Fuller, the MP for Bedford and Kempston, told the BBC he was “thrilled but not surprised” by the news.

Top 10 most generous towns Show all 10 1 /10 Top 10 most generous towns Top 10 most generous towns 1. Bedford £1,145,967 given by 41,631; population 79,150 Rex Top 10 most generous towns 2. Cambridge £1,440,634 given by 48,295; population 126,480 Getty Images Top 10 most generous towns 3. Reading £1,711,566 given by 58,235; population 159,247 Wikipedia, Creative Commons Top 10 most generous towns 4. Brentwood £750,509 given by 21,672; population 74,460 Wikipedia, Creative Commons Top 10 most generous towns 5. Woking £921,165 given by 27,646; population 99,567 Wikipedia, Creative Commons Top 10 most generous towns 6. Aberdeen £1,872,610 given by 58,307; population 220,420 Wikipedia, Creative Commons Top 10 most generous towns 7. Cheltenham £976,995 given by 33,381; population 115,900 Wikipedia, Creative Commons Top 10 most generous towns 8. High Wycombe £1,004,113 given by 31,658; population 93,736 Wikipedia, Creative Commons Top 10 most generous towns 9. Watford £737,375 given by 22,643; population 93,736 Wikipedia, Creative Commons Top 10 most generous towns 10. Bristol £848,674 given by 28,553; population 121,723 Rex

“It's great to see that sense of personal responsibility to not just look after yourself but to look after others,” he told the broadcaster.

“What's distinctive about Bedford is that going back decades now it's been a very welcoming place for people with different backgrounds.”

JustGiving is the UK's biggest charity fundraising website. Among the fundraising pages hosted by the social platform is that of teenager Stephen Sutton, who died of cancer in May. The 19-year-old raised over £4 million for Teenage Cancer Trust.

Top 10 most generous towns