London Bridge businesses Gift Back to local charities

Hadley Properties drop their donations at London Bridge Hive

Now a firm fixture in the London Bridge calendar, the Team London Bridge gift donation campaign, ‘Gift Back’, provides our wonderful business community with a way to give some of our neighbours some Christmas cheer at a time when not everyone feels part of festivities.

Each November and December, our network of workplace elves encourage their colleagues to buy an extra present to donate to our Gift Back appeal. Then, in a frenzy of mainly peddle-powered logistics, yet more generous members of our business community come together to deliver, sort and wrap the presents, ready to be dispatched to our recipient charities.

Our own Sofia Alexandrache, as ever in charge of the elf service, coordinated 2,771 gifts being sent to and received by nine small and local charities; One Southwark, Southwark Care Leavers, Time & Talents, South London Refugee Association, Bede House, Sones End Day Centre, Riverside Parents and Carers, Manna Centre, and South London Mission’s BRITE Box project.

Extra gifts were gratefully received by the Met Police Christmas Tree Appeal, who will deliver the presents to vulnerable people in neighbourhoods across Southwark and Lambeth.

The London Bridge Hive was converted into Santa’s grotto

Over 300 volunteers were involved in the mammoth wrapping sessions, with some even dropping gifts off at the charity and helping them set up and run their festive gatherings. Other deliveries were made via 16 cargo bike trips.

A record number of businesses, at least 44, were involved, including Arma Partners, Hilson Moran, Foresight, News UK, PwC, Grainger, Anthony Gold, Hadley Property, Entocycle, Hilton, Macfarlarne, AXS, Amber Infrastructure, Norstella, Jacobs, Keltie, EY, Mace, Montagu, London Bridge Hotel, Harper Collins, Cognism, Mitie and many more. Collection points were also organised by The Shard and London Bridge City in their buildings.

And a school also took part this year, a first for Gift Back! The Year 12 students at Kingsdale Foundation School donated lots of gifts, travelling by train to drop them off!

As ever, on behalf of all those that received your precious gifts, thank you all. We wish everyone a well-deserved merry Christmas after all of your hard work and generosity.

Deliveries were made on cargo bikes