Bringing a better Christmas to Bankside

The gifts will be given to Lucy Brown House, Hopton's Charity, Age Concern Southwark, the Manna Centre and Crisis.

Five organisations acted as collection points for the gifts: Better Bankside, Shakespeare's Globe, Southwark Cathedral, The Forster Company and Volunteers in Action.

Last week a team of nine staff members from PricewaterhouseCoopers and Better Bankside wrapped the gifts.

Better Bankside is a pilot business improvement district. Ballot papers were distributed to businesses in the area last week who are voting on plans to establish a permanent BID funded by a levy on business rates. The ballot closes on 24 January 2005.