CHARITIES had an impact on the lives of eight out of every ten people in the UK last year, according to a new poll.

The report for think tank IPPR looked at all the ways charities could play a role in people's lives and found that one in two people used a charitable service every month and one in ten used them at least once a week.

The poll by Populus asked whether people had made a purchase from charity shops, visited charitably-run institutions or attended events organised by a charity.

The IPPR (Institute for Public Policy Research) said the results painted a picture of charities playing a vital role in people's everyday lives. More than nine out of ten of those questioned said charities play an essential, very or fairly important role in society, while nearly half of households said that charities were essential to their own lives.

In the last year, 10 per cent of people have attended counselling, a support group, or received mental health support, provided by a charity and seven per cent of people have received medical support. Women were slightly more likely than men to use charitable services, while usage increased with age. Meanwhile, a third of lone parents said they would struggle without help from charities.

Ed Cox, director of IPPR North, said: "Charities can be closer to people than many other government or commercial bodies.

"Despite this, it can sometimes be easy to forget the very real impact that charities have on people's lives, and the value that charities add to society."