A CHARITY which rehomes laying hens in the Okehampton area has beaten off competition from other charities to be named JustGiving Charity of the Year 2018.

The British Hen Welfare Trust, which has a re-homing point in Okehampton, was one of three shortlisted charities who received the most public nominations.

The charity was crowned the overall winner at a glittering awards ceremony in London on Tuesday last week (November 20), with a team from the charity travelling to the capital to collect the award.

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

Charity founder Jane Howorth was on hand at the ceremony to collect the award, which was presented by TV personality Lydia Bright of The Only Way is Essex fame.

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.

She added: ‘Of course, this is all in the name of hen welfare. To say we are rehoming 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.’

The charity was founded by Jane Howorth back in 2005 to give a better life to caged hens when they are deemed too old for egg mass production. She was awarded an MBE for her work helping hens in the 2016 New Year’s Honours list.