Giving back at Christmas: charity appeals and gifts

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, 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 ‘Survival’ (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, stationary and other educational materials are sold). With each purchase you make, a similar item is donated to a refugee. The store (and online shop) has proved hugely successful so far, raising £750,000 worth of items for refugees.

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 the pleasure of tucking into a good read? 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. Donations start at just £2 to gift a book.

The fashion brands giving back: Vivienne Westwood & Selfish Mother

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

Another fashion brand collaborating with a charity this Christmas is Selfish Mother. Its festive jumpers – which are made with organic cotton and sport sentiments of cheer like ‘PEACE’, ‘HOPE’, and ‘JOY’ across their centres – are being sold online on FMLY, with 50% of the £55 retail price going to Save The Children.

Click here to shop Selfish Mother X Save the Children

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

While we're all familiar with charity Christmas cards, many won't have come across charity wrapping paper before. This winter, 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, printing 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.

Shop the wrapping papers now

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

If carols and Christmas cards designs 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 out of 10 sanctuaries around the UK and Europe, giving lifelong care to over 6,000 donkeys and reaching 1.8 million donkeys in total worldwide.

Donners 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 pop-up shops rooted in charity work

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.

Find out more about Fine Cell Work here

Meanwhile, a very special Kate Bush pop-up shop selling the singer’s vinyl, CDs, book and more is running for this weekend only (7 – 9 Dec) at the new Coal Drops Yard complex at King’s Cross. All profits from sales in the shop will go to national homelessness charity Crisis – a cause close to Bush’s heart.

Find out more about the Kate Bush pop-up shop here

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 have been thrown away – turning these into delicious chutneys, jams and other condiments. The award-winning spreads 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