What do you do with a big empty train station on the one day that no trains run at all? Offer it to the homeless.

In total, 200 homeless people will be invited to spend Christmas Day in Euston Station, which will be otherwise empty on the day.

Around 30 volunteers from Network Rail will also give up their Christmas Day to work alongside volunteers from homelessness charity St Mungo’s and Streets Kitchen. St Mungo’s provides a bed and support to more than 2,700 people a night across England, and Streets Kitchen is a grassroots organisation that feeds 1,000 people on the streets every week.

The 200 guests, invited by St Mungo’s and Streets Kitchen, will be arriving at London Euston station, which will be filled with decorations, and tables will be laid for dinner so that the guests can enjoy a full Christmas dinner and some company.

Streets Kitchen will be making and serving the dinner with help from the volunteers.

Euston station (c) Network Rail

Steve Naybour, head of transformation in Network Rail’s track team, is leading the team running the event: “Working on Christmas Day is pretty much par 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.”

The initiative is also being supported by the British Transport Police (BTP) and local and national suppliers including the Pret Foundation Trust, Blacks outdoor clothing, Virgin Trains and Abellio.

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37 comments
  1. Sharon says:

    This is wonderful to see. You will be swamped, so many are in need of this. Thank you and good luck!

  2. Konrad says:

    Thank you So much for giving up your Christmas Day and helping London’s homeless. I am sure you will have a fantastic day together and all be inspired !

    • Twinkle adiacha says:

      Hi is there anyway I can help at Euston station during Christmas Day
      I will bring in collection of food and happy to share and give back to community

  3. Lisa Emery says:

    This gives me hope! What a Fantastic idea. If only more council’s would try harder for the homeless. Well done to all involved!!

  4. Pauline Brownwen Price says:

    Absolutely fantastic. Thank you to everyone who helps with this special day.

  5. Madeleine Litchfield says:

    So impressed with your initiative. We have so many homeless now it’s tragic.

  6. Doe says:

    Absolutely brilliant. Come on you other mainline stations, time to follow

  7. Alison says:

    Fantastic ! What a brilliant example; hopefully others will be inspired to do something similar.

  8. LB says:

    Be great to have 200 presents donated , is there somewhere members of the public could dro something off ?

  9. Nicola Fuschillo says:

    I come through Euston every day, this is such a lovely idea. Is there anyway the public can support through donations of any kind?

  10. Jen says:

    How fabulous! Wish I were closer to be able to come and help. Hope everyone has a wonderful day..

  11. Deb says:

    This is wonderful. Can Birmingham New Street and Manchester Piccadilly also pick up on this and replicate.

  12. Amanda says:

    What a fantastic idea!! .Hopefully more train stations can open up for the countless homeless people across the country. The wonderfully kind Christmas spirit you’re showing is heartwarming and let’s hope others follow in your footsteps. I hope the day is a success.

  13. Heather says:

    How can we help?!

  14. Louise Brooke-Smith says:

    Fantastic initiative and one that hopefully others can replicate. So many Council and Government buildings sitting unused over the Christmas and New Year break such as school halls and kitchens, with potential to offer shelter. Let’s hope other take this lead.

  15. Stephen says:

    Wonderfull to here there is so much concern for the homeless.
    Living in Cardiff where many are homeless I regularly donate food and money to homeless my main concern is fact that as far as I am aware at least in Cardiff facilities for homeless to take a shower are very limited
    Maybe this facility could be
    implemented at the railway station over the Christmas period

  16. Dan says:

    Hey, a truely great idea. I live locally and would like to come and volunteer if there is still space to? How do I go about applying to help on the day?

  17. Paula says:

    Good way to support would be for Boots to make up a personal care package for each person as a Christmas gift.

  18. roy finch says:

    There is no harm in letting them sleep in a safe warm place every night not just christmas.late at night the most london stations lay empty .as long as they leave before rush hour i see no problem at all.we used to see kids sleeping rough at night and tell them to go into the station that was when i worked at paddington.fact is 2017 no one should be on the streets or forced to rely on food banks to make ends meet.shame on our so called leaders.

    • Sarah Balfour says:

      Plod won’t allow it. They use up all their niceness at Xmas. And it won’t happen at all somewhere like Manchester, GMP are programmed to despise the homeless. I remember being homeless in Manchester about 6 years ago. The temperature had dropped to around -12. A group of us sought shelter in Piccadilly – 20 minutes later we were arrested for trespass, and bound over.

      Chucked out in the morning, but the cunts refused to return our kit. The plod in Manchester, REALLY, REALLY, hate homeless people. I expect it to be the same in Brum, Liverpool, Edinburgh, Cardiff (already know that South Wales plod is targeting the homeless in Cardiff), most major cities.

      The homeless, like the disabled, are considered scum. I’m both (the fact that I’ve got a roof over my head doesn’t count).

    • Mike says:

      Well said Sarah. The fact is, the Euston station is just for one day then no one’s going to care for the next 364 days. It’s one meal and yet everyone is squealing about how fantastic and wonderful it is.

    • Priya says:

      I’m sorry (but sadly unsurprised) to hear you had such a rough time, Sarah.

      I have quite high hopes for recent developments though – like the greater manchester homes partnership, which aims to provide 200-ish homes + support specifically aimed at vulnerable rough sleepers.
      https://twitter.com/GMHPartnership

      What do you think?

  19. Andrew Barraclough says:

    Well done down there.Fantastic idea at this time of year.The Government should be ashamed with the homeless problem around the country.Good Luck x

  20. J Force says:

    People do still care.Well done

  21. Sharif says:

    That very good action was better if we do always.thanks any one involved invitation. .

  22. Abby says:

    Such a lovely idea!

  23. KmackS says:

    For those wanting to donate, the clue is here:
    “The 200 guests, invited by St Mungo’s and Streets Kitchen”

    I won’t be here, otherwise I’d love to have volunteered.
    I have no family or friends in London and this would be the next best way to celebrate the day.

  24. Lee sturley says:

    This country is a disgrace. Thousands are homeless. The rich are benefiting from the poorer classes misfortune.

  25. Tracey Smith says:

    This act of charity that will mean so much to so many makes you proud to be British, a big pat on the back to everyone involved. X

    • A Williams says:

      Re ‘proud to be British’ – ordinary people are this generous and charitable in every country on earth. We should be ashamed that so many are homeless.

  26. Mike says:

    I’m ashamed of this. It’s 1 day out of 365. What about when Christmas is over? We need long plans to enable those are unfortunate enough to end up homeless to get back on their feet. Everyone’s squealing about how proud they are to be British. Really? People on the streets need a safe and secure place to stay where they can get their life back on track and that’s much more than a plate of dinner on Christmas day.

    • Priya says:

      I agree generally, but this has been set up by St Mungo’s, which works to provide accommodation and support in the long-term for homeless people. Also, the guests will be invited specifically by St Mungo’s, probably from amongst their client base. With that in mind, it feels like this is an “extra”, to make sure people have something really special for Christmas day.

      It doesn’t detract from your wider point though – members of the public need to bear in mind that our responsibility towards homeless people doesn’t start and end with food/haircuts/Christmas.

  27. J P says:

    Network Rail is to be commended (for once) for this admirably human-centred plan. May I suggest that instead of passively bleating about the desperate plight of the homeless, we actively give? Here are the details :
    mungos.org/get-involved/donate
    and
    streetskitchen.co.uk/donate

  28. Kate Douglas says:

    Being an ex resident of St Mungos. I think this is a great idea. I’m assuming that Crisis at Christmas is also going ahead. The whole issue of homelessness does need addressing but it’s Christmas and what I can remember of it I had an amazing time. New clothes, wash rooms, loads of things to do. Drs, Dentists, hairdressers. Food The works basically. As they say Rome wasn’t built in a day.

  29. Sheila Naybour says:

    Our son and his family will not share our family Christmas Day this year because he is involved in this event and we are thankful and deeply touched. How do we change the world to be a place of loving and giving. Perhaps it is by small steps but the fact remains that today so many are dependant on food banks and such. We have a wonderful grandson who will work on Christmas caring for people with dementia yet he is paid so little that he has to worry about the bills. Our hospitals are crowded because of lack of care facilities ?
    How can we change the world when others will crack open yet another bottle fizz costing £££ and spend ££££ on useless gifts. Only perhaps if many can open their hearts and share. Our thoughts and hopes will be with you all at Euston on Christ Mass day

  30. Carolann Cameron says:

    Hi I am overwhelmed by what you are doing. I would love to see this happening in Scotland next year 2018. please can someone get in touch to help me with advice how to start the wheels in motion?

    Bless you all and I hope the day is a massive success

    Merry Christmas

    Carolann xx

  31. Gerry says:

    It sounds like Streets Kitchen does some good work, but I’m a bit surprised that they are a .co.uk instead of a .org.uk and that they don’t appear to be a Registered Charity.

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