Gift drive has Christmas wrapped up for local charities in London Bridge

16 cargo bikes were booked to help send the gifts to local charities, meaning 0 emissions for London Bridge and nearby!

The Gift Back campaign in London Bridge is a Christmas tradition 15 years in the making. Our local businesses have built relationships with charities in Southwark that last well beyond the festive season however, now more than ever, many in our community need help to celebrate at Christmas time.

Over the years the London Bridge business community has collected tens of thousands of gifts that have been passed on to a wide range of charities who work with those experiencing homelessness, the elderly, young people from disadvantaged backgrounds and those who struggle with mental health issues.

This year, we collected 1745 gifts from 26 local businesses, these included Arma Partners, EY, Grainger, Protiviti, Jacobs, Hadley Property, Evaluate, Montagu, Hilson Moran, Sapphire Systems, Womble Bond Dickinson, PwC, AXS, Robert Half, Energy Networks Association, Amber Infrastructure, Velo, Anthony Gold, Norton Rose Fulbright, Natura & Co, CoStar, Making Music, Hamilton Group, and FIRST.  Take a bow all involved!

With elf like enthusiasm our Responsible Business Director, Sofia Alexandrache, headed up the logistical challenge of collecting, wrapping, sorting and sending these donations and, as ever, our businesses went above and beyond to help brighten someone else’s Christmas.  

There were 5 public collection boxes across London Bridge City, collection points up and down the Shard, precious meeting space borrowed from Gowling, 16 cargo bike deliveries, and 19 volunteers to help with wrapping in the London Bridge Hive. Our wrappers were given time off by their employers to help out, so thank you to Anthony Gold, News UK, Energy Networks Association, Venn Group, local resident, GMO UK, Grainger, London Bridge Hotel, and Southwark Council. Our ingenious friends at Jacobs even devised their own collection bin on wheels to ease the delivery process – it pays to have engineers on your team!

Volunteers from Hadley Property dropping off their gifts in beautifully decorated boxes.

The 17 charities who received the gifts have all expressed their heartfelt thanks, and we thank them for the fantastic work they do in the area throughout the year. A Merry Christmas to everyone involved with One Southwark, Southwark Care Leavers, Time & Talents, South London Refugees Association, Bede House, Sones End Day Centre, Riverside Parents and Carers, South London Mission, Link Age Southw ark, Power2, Edible Rotherhithe, London Bubble Theatre, Disability Sports Coach, Manna Centre, Arts 4 Dementia, Community TechAid, and the Local Police station’s Christmas Tree Appeal.

Lastly, a mention for Hadley Property who made something special happen for 46 children and their parents and teachers.  Due to the cost-of-living crisis, going to the theatre or cinema doesn’t happen as often these days, so Hadley Property arranged a VIP experience at the Leicester Square Odeon in the weeks leading up to Christmas. A special gift indeed!   

Winnie, one of the cinema goers from South London Mission said, “The mothers were left feeling very energised, as their children felt part of something special having attended the screening. It is especially important, as some of the children are autistic and therefore families are often left feeling like outsiders. Another child is awaiting kidney transplant, therefore it was just a very special time and it warmed the hearts of the parents to have been able to do something like that together”.  

Congratulations to all involved. You’ve made a real difference in households and communities across the borough this Christmas.