Taking down the Christmas tree is usually tinged with an element of sadness, but this year in Croydon it is an opportunity to both win and give back through the council’s recycling competition.

With an overweight, red faced fat man as its commercial ambassador Christmas is undeniably a time of excessive consumption. Our devouring greed for eating, drinking and present-buying results in an estimated 3 million tonnes of waste being produced in the UK over those few festive days.

ELL spoke to two of the capital’s many key workers who sacrifice their own festivities to keep London in order on Christmas day. PC Hilary Sizmur, 39 a member of the Lewisham Response Team said:

Father Christmas will not be the only one visiting children in Tower Hamlets this year, with officers from East India and Lansbury Safer Neighbourhoods Team distributing gifts in the area. Earlier this month, officers distributed letters to residents asking if they would donate money to buy gifts for children, and were overwhelmed by the generous [...]

Exhibition: Hand Made Tales: Women and Domestic Crafts at the Women’s Library Christmas is always a good time to remember words like ‘tradition’, ‘craft’ and all the ways a woman can make snowy days warm and cosy. The Women’s Library picks up on the current revival of crafts that some regarded as dated such as [...]

Who keeps the world turning while you are eating turkey and knocking back the New Year spirits? ELL finds out.

A premature baby was HIV-tested after nurses at Lewisham hospital twice made potentially serious errors involving giving it breast milk from another mother.

Homeless at fifteen Katie Montgomery turned her life around. Now she helps others to do the same.

There is little left in the blue borough that points toward its bass heavy history. But back in the day, two of the most famous and influential UK reggae music sound-systems were residents: Jah Shaka in New Cross and Saxon in Lewisham town.

Gay symphony orchestras to punk rockers on laughing gas, ELL picks the best NYE parties.