Some £1.3bn was given away in 174 separate donations worth £1m+ during the 2009/10 financial year, according to the latest report from Coutts.

The fourth annual Coutts Million Pound Donor report tracked size, scale and recipients of donations worth £1m+ from individuals, trusts and corporations in the UK.

While the most common donation was £1m, over half were worth £2m or more, 10 per cent were worth £10m-plus and one individual donated over £100m.

All donations worth over £10m were banked into charitable trusts and foundations rather than given directly to the organisations.

Some 154 organisations received donations although higher education remained the most popular recipient, possibly due to the match funding scheme which incentivised donors towards UK universities.

However, donations were down 15 per cent from the previous year from 201 to 174 but the report said this mirrored results from other charitable studies and also reflected the general economic mood.

Maya Prabhu, head of UK philanthropy at Coutts, said: “The results of this study demonstrate the significant contribution individuals are making to charitable causes at the highest level.

“While it is clearly important to take steps to encourage more people to start giving, and to encourage those who can to give more, it is also important to pause and celebrate the contribution of individuals and trusts at the most significant level of philanthropy.”