_{“We are a charity and social business providing homes, jobs, food and support to empower people to transform their own lives.
Our vision is a society where no one should have to be homeless. We challenge the status quo by pioneering solutions that create lasting change.” Social Bite}

The tree in the photograph above was standing in the same spot last year – vivid and demanding to be noticed. This year I tried to catch the amazing light displays while passing on a bus, but they changed as fast as we moved, and the best result was this.

My first impression of the tree was that it was an eye-catching design statement, and I assumed that Charing Cross Station had decided that the season was right for some dramatic decoration. However, a little research soon ended that theory. The tree in the photograph is in fact the Tree of Kindness, put in this spot by Social Bite who describe themselves as “a movement to end homelessness”. Their foundations lie in a coffee shop in Edinburgh, where a young, homeless man came to look for a job in 2012. Out of that first contact grew Social Bite.

Their website shows an impressive list of projects, as well as providing more information about the tree in London. The hope is that the public will donate to support the charity either delivering presents to the tree which will be passed on to those experiencing homelessness, (there are guidelines as to what and how to give on Social Bite’s website), or else that people might donate online (information about that too is on the website). I also read, in case you’re interested in taking something to the London Tree of Kindness, that it will be accepting donations until 8pm on Friday 22 December.

And if you’re not in London there are another four of these vibrant trees in Scotland – Edinburgh, Aberdeen, Glasgow and Dundee.

Copyright Georgie Knaggs & The Phraser 2023