Giving back at Christmas: charity appeals and gifts

The fashion brands giving back: Vivienne Westwood, and Camden Town Brewery x TRAID

At the chic end of charitable gifting this Christmas is Vivienne Westwood’s Save the Rainforest T-shirt – an ideal gift for the eco-conscious fashionista in your life. All proceeds made from the £25 shirt, which has been seen on the likes of Kate Moss and Fearne Cotton, go towards the rainforest-saving charity the Cool Earth foundation.

Click here to shop Vivienne Westwood’s T-shirt

For those dreaming of a green, not white, Christmas, head to Camden Town Brewery on 7 December (12pm-4pm), where clothing charity TRAID is running a pop-up shop, showcasing a collection of second-hand and vintage items curated by the enviably stylish Laura Jackson. Not only will you be able to pick up fashion tips from Jackson herself, you might even walk away with some of her own donated wardrobe items. The pop-up celebrates the launch of the Camden Town x TRAID ‘12-pack Give Back’ scheme, which encourages shoppers to donate unwanted clothing to TRAID, using Camden Hells packaging – available from mainstream supermarkets – and a Freepost system. Those who donate on the day can also enjoy a pint of Camden Hells on the house. Cheers to that!

WHERE: Camden Town Brewery Arch, 55-59 Wilkin Street Mews, London NW5 3NN

Click here for more on Camden Town x TRAID

The charity gift shops: Battersea Dogs & Cats Home, and Bee Friendly Trust

Battersea Dogs & Cats Home has partnered with personalisation book service The Book of Everyone to create a book: Wise(ish) Words for Dog Lovers. It’s up for you to finish the book, though, by adding the number-one pooch in your life into the story. From photos of your dog to facts and your favourite anecdotes about them, there are plenty of ways to customise the story. Next, choose whether you want your personalised book in hardback, paperback or digital only (if you’re being eco-conscious this Christmas). What’s more, £5 of every book sold goes to Battersea Dogs & Cats Home. What better present to buy a dog lover?

Click here to shop the Wise(ish) Words for Dog Lovers book

There’s been a lot of talk about bees and their declining population this year. If you’re shopping for someone who truly cares about the plight of bees, buying a hive for their home could be a bit of a burden, so why not buy them a gift from the Bee Friendly Trust’s gift shop instead? The Trust’s mission is to transform neglected spaces across the UK into thriving floral habitats for honey bees and other pollinators. You can support their work through buying handcrafted items from their online shop, including throws (pictures), beeswax candles, soap (and shampoo) bars, and prints. And if you want to get more involved, you can speak to the charity about setting up a bee-friendly space near you.

Click here to shop the Bee Friendly Trust’s gift collection

The concept store in aid of the refugee crisis: Choose Love

Nestled among the various fashion chains and designer boutiques in Soho is a pop-up shop with a difference: Choose Love. Established by Help Refugees, this is the world’s first store to sell physical products for refugees. The Carnaby shop invites shoppers to interact with items, learning why each is useful to a displaced person.

The store is split into three sections, each dedicated to a stage of a refugee’s journey, beginning with ‘Arrival’ (where blankets, outdoor clothing and edible items can be bought); moving into ‘Shelter’ (where sleeping bags, tents, washing necessities and sanitary products can be picked up) and finally into ‘Future’ (where books, stationery and other educational materials are sold). With each purchase you make, a similar item is donated to a refugee.

Your giving really does make a difference: last year, the sale of life-jackets from the Choose Love store raised £38,594, which enabled Refugee Rescue to assist 1,399 people braving the treacherous sea crossing from Turkey.

Click here for more on Choose Love

The pop-up charity shops: Fine Cell Work, and Action for Children

Fine Cell Work is a criminal justice charity working to enable prisoners to build fulfilling and crime-free lives by training them to do skilled, creative needlework – undertaken in their prison cells – with the aim of it fostering hope, discipline and self-esteem. The charity operates a pop-up shop on Pimlico Road in Belgravia, where the lovely hand-stitched products can be bought.

Click here for more on Fine Cell Work

Meanwhile, Action for Children has opened a pop-up store in Covent Garden (running 5-18 December), where you can shop the charity’s range of slogan T-shirts and jumpers – fronted by the likes of Stacey Solomon, AJ Odudu and Sophie Hinchliffe (aka Mrs Hinch) – as well as Secret Santa-style gifts for a vulnerable child. Not sure what to buy? The store’s interactive mirror can analyse your reactions to a series of Christmas images and suggest a Secret Santa gift based on how you respond. Items available include hot meals, warm clothes and safe places to sleep.

Click here for more on the Action for Children pop-up shop

The cookery school supporting refugees: Migrateful

At Migrateful, you can learn how to make exquisite dishes from around the world, while supporting people originally from those countries. Both a cookery school and language initiative, Migrateful supports asylum seekers, refugees and migrants who are struggling to access employment in the UK due to legal and linguistic barriers, by lending them a hub from which they can teach the public how to make their nation's traditional cuisine.

With a £35 gift voucher, you can pick between one of 16 cooking classes, including in Afghan, Cuban, Eritrean and Pakistani cuisine. As well as learning international recipes, these fun and easy-going classes are a chance to practise a different language and enjoy a cultural exchange in an intimate home setting, all for a good cause.

Click here for more on Migrateful

The designer wrapping paper supporting a good cause: Hands On London

While we're all familiar with charity Christmas cards, many won't have encountered charity wrapping paper before. The charity Hands On London has worked with 12 designers to create a series of special-edition wrapping paper designs. The designers involved in the project include DixonBaxi, Lowrie and The Beautiful Meme, who have each shared one design, printed it on fully recyclable GF Smith Colorplan paper. Shoppers can stock up on the designs they like best – many of which aren’t linked to the festive period – or purchase a pack of all 12 designs for £42. All proceeds go towards the charity’s Wrap Up London campaign, which provides warm clothes to those who are sleeping rough.

Click here to shop the Wrapping Up collection

The Charity spreading the joy of reading far and wide: Book Aid

If, for you, a large part of Christmas involves curling up with a good book, why not pay forward that pleasure? Book Aid International is a charity based on the principle that everyone should have the opportunity to read, whatever their circumstances. Working both locally and abroad, the charity supplies books to libraries and organisations in schools, prisons and refugee camps. Reverse Book Tokens, whereby you send books to people who need them most, start at just £2.

Click here for more on Book Aid

The charities looking out for our four-legged friends: The Donkey Sanctuary, and RSPCA

If carols and Christmas cards have got you thinking about little donkeys plodding through the winter’s night, you might want to make a donation to The Donkey Sanctuary this Christmas. The charity operates 10 sanctuaries around the UK and Europe, giving lifelong care to over 6,000 donkeys and reaching 1.8 million donkeys in total worldwide.

Donors can choose to either give a one-off donation, set up a direct debit or even adopt a donkey for £3 a month. Gifters will be told the name, birthday and location of their donkey, and sent two framed portraits of their new furry friend, too.

Click here to support The Donkey Sanctuary

Another charity looking out for vulnerable animals this Christmas is the RSPCA. Through its Stock the Sleigh appeal, you can send an animal the gift of ‘care’ (veterinary care, hydration and medicines), ‘safety’ (donating towards call response services) or ‘comfort’ (a warm blanket, treats and a toy), by going online and selecting your prefered donation package.

Click here to support the RSPCA

The condiments brand giving back to the planet: Rubies in the Rubble

Those hoping to stock the cupboards with ethical goods this Christmas should look to Rubies in the Rubble, a start-up with a mission to tackle food waste and CO2 emissions by sourcing and saving local fruit and veg that would otherwise be thrown away – turning these into delicious chutneys, jams and other condiments. The award-winning results can be found in the likes of Harrods, Fortnums, Ocado and Whole Foods, and can also be bought online.

Click here to shop the Rubies in the Rubble range