The Wimbledon Village Winter Coat Drive was an event where people could donate coats to those who will struggle to stay warm this winter.

From Friday 18 October to Friday 22 November, there were many places where people could hand in their coats in Wimbledon Village, including Robert Holmes & Co, the Rose & Crown, Swords Travel, Westside Tennis Club and Peacock & Co Solicitors.

The event was selflessly organised by Robert Holmes & Co, in support of the amazing ‘Calling London’ charity, who requested that people donated any coat that was warm and in good, clean condition.

The Calling London website says that volunteers then sort the coats and jackets and work with partner charities to distribute them to Londoners in need, such as families facing homelessness, people living in poverty and vulnerable groups like refugees.

I spoke to one of the founders of the Calling London charity, Frances Manthos, who received a Mayor’s award for her inspirational work distributing coats.

She commented, ‘I started the charity in 2011 because I heard from a primary school teacher about pupils going to school without coats because their families couldn’t afford to buy them one’. 

This year, 710 coats were collected in Wimbledon Village according to Robert Holmes & Co, a local estate agency who supported Calling London’s mission.

This was a huge achievement, as Frances Manthos also said, ‘Every single coat counts … because that one coat will keep someone both safe and warm’.

This truly summarises the importance of the work of this remarkable charity, but also the commitment they have to making sure that these donations make it to the people who need them. 

She told me, ‘I rely not only on the generosity of the public but also on those businesses who offer me invaluable support by making their offices donation points across London’.

I contacted Mark Swords, the CEO and founder of Swords Travel, one of businesses who chose to be a drop off point for the coat and jackets.

He said, ‘I think what Calling London are doing is fantastic … [being a supporter of the campaign] is a very small ask, and we’ll do anything we can to help make someone’s life more comfortable in what is already a very sad situation’.

The overall generosity of the Wimbledon Village community and the local businesses who supported the process, coupled with the dedication of Calling London, has really taken a massive step towards helping Londoners in need this winter.