Shoppers in Wimbledon were treated to a special guest last week as the call was made for people to get into the giving spirit.

Fashion and lifestyle blogger with 1.6 million Instagram followers, Niomi Smart spent Friday morning volunteering at the Wimbledon British Heart Foundation.

Niomi is hoping to raise awareness about the BHF’s volunteering campaign, Operation Elf, which is calling on people to lend an ‘elfing’ hand over the festive period by giving the gift of time at a local store, even just for an afternoon.

Linda Fenn, head of volunteering at the BHF said: “Volunteering over the Christmas period is a fantastic way to give back to your local community and be part of a fantastic team, whilst also helping us to raise vital funds into heart and circulatory diseases, such as stroke, diabetes and vascular dementia.

“Each year heart and circulatory diseases kill around 13,000 people in Greater London and currently 720,000 people in the capital are living with these conditions.

"It’s essential that we continue to accelerate research into new ways to prevent, diagnose and treat them. Our volunteers have a huge impact on raising money through our shops and with your support we can keep hearts beating and blood flowing.”