OXFAM has announced a record income of £401.4m in 2014/15 in figures released this morning. 

The Oxford-based charity said this was in part due to donations from institutions  - such as the UK Government – also hitting a record high last year, at £204.2m.

Its annual report said overall income was up by three percent, including public fundraising income rising from £100.1m to £98.2m, but Oxfam also reported a drop in income from its High Street shops.

The charity said the slump - from £23.7m to £22.9m – was due to a “difficult trading year for most retailers” and donated sales that remained “pretty static”.

But the report added: “Oxfam shops continue to provide a way for the public to provide their generous support to Oxfam’s work through other areas beyond shopping.”

It said it was also continuing to roll out a refurbishment programme across stores, such as those in Oxford city centre.

This morning chief executive Mark Goldring told BBC Radio Oxford: “We can only sell what we get given.

“We are increasing our fair trade product sales but they do not compare with donated goods.

“We have also got to run high quality shops that people want to go in.”

The charity’s annual report said its overall rise in income had helped it to reach an extra 800,000 people worldwide, hitting 11.8m people in total across 52 countries.

That included 39 humanitarian emergencies.