Phil Spencer backs Better Bankside Christmas appeal

Better Bankside is asking people who live or work in the area to 'Bring and Buy a Better Christmas'. By bringing Christmas presents to collection points around Bankside they will be providing gifts to five local charities that work with older and homeless people: Broadway; Lucy Brown House; Hopton's Charity; Age Concern Southwark and The Manna Centre.

By buying Better Bankside Christmas cards, together with products on sale in SE1 marked with a purple sticker, they are helping to raise money for Broadway, a homelessness charity based near Borough High Street which provides services to more than 2,800 people a year who are homeless or have experienced homelessness.

More than 800 presents were received by the five charities last year and the organisers of the appeal are hoping that they can collect even more this year.

On receiving her Christmas present Hulia, one of Broadway's hostel residents, said: "It was a lovely surprise as I did not get a gift from anyone else last year and it made my Christmas special. I would love to receive another gift this year. I don't have any family so Christmas can be a lonely time for me."

Phil Spencer, an ambassador for Broadway, said: "This is a great appeal and enables local businesses and retailers to do something amazing this Christmas and to help people less fortunate than ourselves."

Collection points are accepting gifts during normal business hours until Wednesday 13 December:
• Better Bankside, 118 Southwark Street
• Broadway, Chaucer House, White Hart Yard
• Forster, 49 Southwark Street
• Prospero House, 241 Borough High Street
• Shakespeare's Globe, The Stage Door, 21 New Globe Walk
• Southwark Cathedral, Montague Chambers Reception, London Bridge
• Volunteer Centre Southwark, Wigglesworth House, 69 Southwark Bridge Road

Better Bankside held its first ever Christmas card competition with first the winning design produced by 10-year-old Ronni Duffett of Cathedral School. Christmas Cards are available from Better Bankside, priced at £5 for a pack of ten, including envelopes. Corporate overprints can be arranged. Please call Jogitha Jesudasan on 020 7928 3998 or [email protected]