Each November and December, our workplace elves rally colleagues across the network to add an extra gift to their festive shopping and support our annual Gift Back appeal. What follows is a burst of mostly pedal-powered activity, as members of the local business community step up to collect, sort and wrap donations, ready to be delivered to the charities we support.
Led by our very own Deborah Millington and Sofia Alexandrache, the elf team coordinated an impressive 3,o59 gifts, which were distributed to seven small, local charities: Bede House, One Southwark, South London Mission, South London Refugee Association, Southwark Care Leavers, Stones End Day Centre, and Time & Talents.
Additional donations were also passed on to the Met Police Christmas Tree Appeal, helping to bring festive cheer to vulnerable individuals and families across Southwark and Lambeth.
More than 200 volunteers took part in the large-scale wrapping sessions, with some going the extra mile by delivering gifts directly to charities and supporting their festive events. In total, 40 cargo bike deliveries helped keep the operation both sustainable and efficient.
The appeal was supported by over 39 local businesses, including London Bridge City, Science Gallery London, News UK, PwC, Hilson Moran, Womble Bond Dickinson, Cawston Press, Anthony Gold Solicitors, Trustpilot, EY, The Shard, Hilton, Comptoir Libanais, Mace and many others.
A special thank you goes to The Shard for producing A Gift’s Journey: GiftBack 2025, a short film that beautifully captures the spirit of the campaign. Watch the film here.
Wrapping sessions also featured a light-hearted challenge, the Team London Bridge Wrap-a-Book Championships, where competitors raced to wrap a book in record time. One participant clocked an impressive 12.04 seconds, surpassing the official world record of 16.62 seconds, albeit with slightly relaxed rules.
As always, on behalf of everyone who received a gift, thank you for your generosity, energy and commitment. We wish you all a very well-earned and joyful Christmas.
