A charity which has found homes for over 670,000 laying hens has been named the JustGiving Charity of the Year.

The British Hen Welfare Trust, based in Rose Ash in Devon, was one of three shortlisted charities who received the most public nominations, and was crowned the overall winner at a glittering awards ceremony in London on Tuesday, November 20.

There are 25,788 charities registered with JustGiving and a whopping 45,000 nominations were received within the Charity of the Year category, with the BHWT receiving the lion’s share.

Jane Howorth MBE, Founder of the charity collected the award, which was presented by Lydia Bright, formerly of The Only Way is Essex.

Speaking of the accolade, Jane said: “Nobody was more amazed than me when our name was read out as winner of the Charity of the Year award. To be recognised by the UK’s biggest fundraising platform, and to have received so many nominations from the public, is awesome in the truest sense of the word. It’s a testament to our staff, volunteers and supporters that we are achieving such success. Thanks must also go to JustGiving, who have been so warm and welcoming to us from the moment we were shortlisted.

“Of course, this is all in the name of hen welfare. To say we are re-homing 68,000 hens this year alone may sound monumental but, for me, it’s about the individual hens. That’s 68,000 lives saved, and those girls are going to raise so much awareness to improve life for all the hens left behind.”

Keith Williams, general manager, UK & Ireland at JustGiving, said: “We are delighted and honoured to announce the British Hen Welfare Trust as the JustGiving ‘Charity of the Year’, for their commitment to raising awareness of hen welfare and support for the British egg industry.

“The JustGiving Awards not only symbolises the hope, courage and determination of the human spirit, in the face of adversity. It also shows how technology is able to empower people to change the world by supporting the causes they care about.”

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Editor's note: Both sister titles South West Farmer newspaper and Smallholder magazine are immensely pleased for this hard working team. Congratulations!