The Bankside Christmas Gift Appeal 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.
Thanks to the incredible generosity of the Bankside community, 686 people supported by seven local charities and community‑based services will receive gift parcels this year.
Bankside businesses came together to support the Bankside Christmas Gift Appeal, donating to ensure everyone on the list received a gift parcel tailored to their needs. The gifts were wrapped and packed by more than 70 volunteers who gave up their time to help spread joy across the neighbourhood.
Who does the appeal support?
Gifts are donated to people supported by 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.
- Robes Project – winter night shelters for people experiencing homelessness, providing warm beds for about 35 people every night between November and April, in different churches across Southwark and Lambeth.
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.
The Bankside Christmas Gift Appeal will return in 2026.
