The Bankside Christmas Gift Appeal 2025 is a chance to make a difference over the festive season to people dealing with homelessness, or struggling with their mental health, and to our older neighbours.
How can you get involved?
- Donate now! We need your help to make sure that everyone on our list receives a gift parcel this Christmas.
- Make a donation on behalf of your business: contact Rachel Nicholson to arrange this
- Help promote the Bankside Christmas Gift Appeal in your workplace: sign up here to receive your resource pack
- Join other Bankside volunteers from 8-11 December to help wrap all of the gifts: book your space here
Sign up to promote the appeal in your office or make a donation on behalf of your business, and you will be among the first to hear about the popular volunteer wrapping activities.
Who does the appeal support?
Gifts are donated to people supported by six local charities and community-based services that we work with in different ways throughout the year.
- The Manna Society – a day centre for homeless people and those in need, providing hot meals, hot showers, and clean clothes, as well as housing and welfare advice to around 160 people.
- Lucy Brown House – this sheltered housing service near Borough Market is home to 41 elderly and vulnerable residents.
- Blackfriars Settlement Positive Ageing Service – a day centre service providing support and social activities for 250 local older people.
- Blackfriars Settlement Mental Health & Wellbeing Service – groups, activities and one-to-one support helping 100 people facing mental health challenges in the community.
- United St Saviours’ Hopton Street Almshouses – the almshouses provide affordable accommodation for 24 older people.
- St Mungo’s Great Guildford Street hostel – a 24-hour service that looks after 55 people who are affected by homelessness and have high support needs.
How does the appeal work?
Each of the organisations supported by the Bankside Christmas Gift Appeal has its own wish list, to make sure that the gifts are tailored to the needs of the people they help. We partner with Common Good, a zero-waste donation platform, and your donations mean that every item on these wish lists will get ticked off and delivered to Bankside, ready to be wrapped in early December. PedalMe, a Bankside-based cargo bike business, helps us deliver all of the gifts to every organisation in time for their festive celebrations.
Last year, the Bankside Christmas Gift Appeal 2024 gave presents to 675 people, thanks to the generosity and kindness of Banksiders. With your help, we can spread some festive cheer again this year.
