Concourse for three courses
EUSTON STATION WILL WELCOME 200 HOMELESS PEOPLE FOR A CHRISTMAS DAY DINNER
LONDON Euston railway station will be transformed into a homelessness shelter on Christmas Day and will welcome hundreds of guests for a festive dinner.
Around 30 volunteers from Network Rail are sacrificing some of their time off with their families to work alongside volunteers from homelessness chari- ties St Mungo’s and Streets Kitchen.
From 11am on Christmas Day, 200 guests – invited by the two charities – will arrive at London Euston station, which will be filled with festive decorations.
Tables will line the concourse floor, laid for dinner so that the station’s guests can enjoy a full Christmas dinner and some company.
Streets Kitchen will be making and serving the dinner with help from the volunteers.
Steve Naybour, head of transformation in Network Rail’s track team, is leading the organisers and said the event is a “great” plan.
“Using a station to give homeless people a Christmas dinner and some festive cheer is a great thing,” Mr Naybour said. “Thousands and thousands of my colleagues will already be working on Christmas Day to improve the railway for passengers.
“Working on Christmas Day is pretty much for the course for many of us who work for Network Rail but this year, because I wasn’t scheduled to work, myself and a handful of colleagues came up with this plan to feed some of London’s homeless instead.”
Mr Naybour said the event is only possible due to support from British Transport Police, who will manage security on the day.
Volunteers from Network Rail and St Mungo’s will help serve food, welcome guests and keep them company, as well as cleaning and supervising station areas.
Beth Nordon, community and events manager for St Mungo’s, added: “Many people become homeless because of relationship breakdowns, so Christmas can be a particularly lonely time for some of our residents.
“Our thanks to Network Rail, their staff and volunteers, for help- ing some of our residents feel included in the community this Christmas Day.”
National suppliers including the Pret Foundation Trust, Blacks outdoor clothing, Virgin Trains and Abellio have also all played a part in making the event happen. Jon Glackin, from Streets Kitchen, said he was “really excited” by what the local community can achieve by coming together.
He said: “This is a shining example of local businesses, community groups and individuals coming together in solidarity to assist others in need over Christmas.”