A BANK with branches across the Huddersfield area has been voted the best for backing charitable causes.

Yorkshire Bank, along with its sister operation, Scotland’s Clydesdale Bank, won the class for best employer and charity promotion at the National Payroll Giving Excellence Awards.

The banks were recognised for promoting payroll giving among their employees.

The system allows workers to give to any UK-registered charity by a direct deduction from their wage.

The banks worked alongside Workplace Giving UK, an award- winning professional fundraising organisation which raises awareness of Payroll Giving, to promote the scheme to their UK workforces.

Some 15% of Yorkshire and Clydesdale banks’ UK employees give to charity through payroll giving, raising more than £148,000 a year for various charities.

On top of this an extra £30,000 is given by the banks through matched funding of the donations pledged to Help the Hospices.

The Yorkshire Bank has branches at New Street in Huddersfield, Southgate in Elland and Bradford Road at Brighouse, as well as in Dewsbury and Batley.

The banks received a Gold Payroll Giving Quality Award from the Government when they reached the 10% employee contribution mark. The banks now plan to raise the figure to 20%.