Spending on charities, dating, staycations and pets increases

People collectively put more money towards charities between April and June than in the first quarter of this year, according to Britain’s biggest building society.

Nationwide said its members upped contributions in the second quarter of the year, giving a total of £133.7 million to good causes.

This was a 16% increase compared with the first quarter of this year.

People also spent more money on dating apps and websites, with £3.8 million spent between April and June on the search for romance – up 5% quarter-on-quarter and 36% compared with the same period last year.

And £1.05 billion was spent on eating out – a quarter-on-quarter surge of 112%.

The number of transactions in bars and taverns was nearly back up to pre-lockdown levels in the second quarter of this year.

Some 9.39 million transactions were recorded by Nationwide – close to the 9.56 million transactions in the first quarter of 2020.

Gardening spending also continued to bloom, with Nationwide members spending £110.6 million between April and June, marking a 77% increase on the first quarter of the year.

Some £49.5 million was spent on taxis between April and June, which was slightly higher than pre-pandemic levels of around £43 million, Nationwide said.

And Nationwide members spent £124.5 million on pets – a 7% increase on the first quarter of the year.

With staycations currently being a popular choice, spending on campsites and caravan parks surged by 139% compared with the previous three months, to £69.5 million.

Mark Nalder, Nationwide’s head of payments said: “The feeling of a brighter future is perhaps acting as a catalyst for wider increased spending, from charity donations to seeing friends again – all of which is keeping the tills ringing.”

He added: “As we move deeper into summer, we expect non-essential spending to continue edging up as people look to enjoy their freedom using some of the savings built up during lockdown to help boost the economy.”