New research has discovered that the financial value of volunteering work carried out by faith groups in the borough is worth at least £3 million a year.

The study, funded by the charity Allia and Wandsworth council, discovered that over 90 percent of faith groups in Wandsworth volunteer to help their community.

The study catalogued a total of 430 projects serving 70,000 beneficiaries, employing 340 paid staff and 3,500 volunteers, spanning across 270,000 hours per year.

Volunteering work included support to lonely elderly people, social projects in the community, training, coaching or counselling, providing food and housing and youth groups.

The findings were unveiled at a meeting in Wandsworth Town Hall earlier this month, which was attended by over 65 faith leaders, charities and public sector officials.

Cllr Ravi Govindia, who is leader of the council said he welcomed the efforts made by faith groups to build healthy relationships and stressed the importance of building cohesive communities.

Charities which attended the meeting included Mushkil Aasaan, The Salvation Army, Wandsworth Foodbank, The Wandsworth Mediation Group, Regenerate Rise, Wandsworth Street Pastors and The Housing Justice Night Shelter.