Whether through volunteering, donating or raising awareness, supporting local charities is a meaningful way to share the spirit of Christmas. Find out ways you can support various organisations across London Heritage Quarter.
Volunteer to Deliver Christmas Hampers in Westminster
Help us and the Sir Simon Milton Foundation spread festive cheer in London with Westminster Connects by distributing Christmas Hampers to over 800 residents with support and care needs. Volunteering slots are available daily from 8 to 12 December and you can deliver the gifts by foot or in a car. Sign up to deliver Christmas Hampers here.
Build a Winter Hamper with The Connection at St Martin-in-the-Fields
This Christmas, The Connection at St Martin-in-the-Fields are partnering with CITYPAK to help support people sleeping rough over the colder months. They’re inviting corporate partners to collect a CITYPAK backpack and fill it with cold weather essentials from their Winter Hamper checklist.
The CITYPAK backpacks are specially designed in collaboration with people who have experienced homelessness, creating durable, practical bags that meet the needs of those living on the streets. 150 backpacks have been donated and will be distributed to the people The Connection supports this winter.
To take part or find out more about how many hampers your team can create, get in touch with The Connection at St Martin-in-the-Fields.
Donate Essentials to the Cardinal Hume Centre
This festive season, the Cardinal Hume Centre is asking for donations of food, personal care items and kitchen essentials to support families and individuals experiencing homelessness and hardship. These simple but vital items help people not only meet their everyday needs but also feel cared for and supported at a time that can be especially difficult. See what you can donate to Cardinal Hume Centre here.
Alternatively, you can donate money directly to the cause. £15 could pay for cooked meals for children attending activity clubs, £25 could pay for meals for a refugee family and £50 could give a homeless family housing advice and advocacy.
Christmas Bake Off with St Vincent’s Family Project
Support local families by taking part in the St Vincent’s Family Project Christmas Bake Off! This friendly cake-making competition, started by Draker Lettings in 2023, is back for 2025 and everyone is welcome to join in the fun, no matter your baking skills.
The Bake Off is a great way to bring your colleagues, friends or family together while raising vital funds to help vulnerable families with young children in Westminster enjoy a magical Christmas. Participants are encouraged to raise at least £150 and visitors can also donate at the event to support the cause.
The St Vincent’s Family Project Christmas Bake Off takes place on Saturday 6 December from 3pm at St Vincent’s Family Project, Methodist Central Hall, Storey’s Gate, London, SW1H 9NH. Find out more and sign up for the SVFP Christmas Bake Off here.
Support St Andrew’s Youth Club
Help St Andrew’s support disadvantaged children with enriching, fun and educational activities to help them thrive. With your help, St Andrew’s and their amazing youth workers will offer sports, creative and wellbeing activities to develop children’s confidence, resilience and sense of belonging.
Companies are encouraged to organise a gift collection at their offices to support local children. To find out more, contact St Andrew’s Youth Club.
Festival of Kindness with Social Bite
With so many local authorities declaring housing emergencies in the past 12 months, and food poverty on the rise, Social Bite are on a mission to provide 300,000 meals, gifts & essentials and emergency shelter for people in most need, including individuals and families with children. The Festival of Kindness is their big Christmas campaign, and it’s a combined effort to get hot food, a meaningful present, and emergency shelter for people who are homeless and vulnerable.
See how you can help:
- Bring a gift to a Tree of Kindness – The stunning 10-metre Christmas tree by Charing Cross Station has returned. Your team can bring gifts from a wish list to donate to people in need, and place them under the tree. These will then be distributed them to homeless people, families, and children in poverty in the area in time for Christmas. Corporates can set up a gift drive too.
- Make a donation – £5 could buy a homeless person a Christmas dinner or emergency winter food pack and £28 could buy a Christmas of Kindness, providing someone with a hot Christmas dinner, a Christmas gift, a pack of essential items and a bed for the night. Companies are encouraged to donate too – £1,000 could buy toys and gifts for 50 children in homeless accommodation to open on Christmas day, £5,000 could buy a thousand homeless people Christmas dinner, £10,000 could fund 2,000 food packs for families in poverty this winter, and £30,000 could fund safe accommodation with tailored support for 60 people for a whole month over winter.
- Volunteer at the Tree of Kindness – You will welcome supporters to the tree and let them know more about how they can support the Festival of Kindness by bringing a gift or by making a donation that could help someone who is vulnerable this winter.
- Fundraise – From Christmas party raffles to Secret Santa donations, every £5 raised can buy someone homeless a Christmas meal. Social Bite will help you to set up a fundraising page and on this webpage, you’ll find a campaign pack to download with lots of info including fundraising ideas and a gift wish list. You can also download social media assets, posters and more.