SOUTH Western Railway (SWR) is supporting the Ace of Clubs charity to feed homeless people this Christmas, with a donation of just £2 covering the cost of a meal for those in need during the festive season.
Ace of Clubs serves those in the community in South West London who are experiencing homelessness, including those who are sleeping rough, or are living in temporary or insecure housing.
From its centre in Clapham, the charity provides for the immediate needs of those in desperate circumstances with safety, food, warmth, clothing, laundry, showers, housing support and someone to talk to.
As well as the Christmas ‘sponsor a meal’ initiative, SWR has recently donated unclaimed lost property from its London Waterloo office, such as warm clothing, sleeping bags and tents for Ace of Clubs service users during the colder months.
Customers passing through Clapham Junction will be able to donate at a specially installed Christmas tree at the Shopstop shopping centre entrance of the station, kindly provided by Pines and Needles.
The campaign rounds off a busy year of charitable and community engagement across one of the country’s largest rail networks, which serves Berkshire, Devon, Dorset, London, Hampshire, the Isle of Wight, Somerset, Surrey and Wiltshire.
Ace of Clubs is just one of SWR’s official charity partners for 2022-23, which also includes the Alex Wardle Foundation, Missing People, Baby Necessities and SERV Surrey & London.
Peter Williams, Customer and Commercial Director of South Western Railway, commented:
“Christmas is a joyous time of year for many, but it can also be a difficult period for those going through hardship. This festive season, we invite you to support our charity partner Ace of Clubs to provide free meals for people experiencing homelessness.
“Ace of Clubs does fantastic work from its centre in Clapham, and we are pleased to have worked with them over a number of years on campaigns such as this, and to have donated unclaimed lost property from our Waterloo office so it can be put to good use by those in need.
“This appeal rounds off a year of successful partnerships with charities and community groups across our network. We want SWR to be at the heart of the communities we serve, ensuring we provide social as well as economic value to our great region.”
Richard Gordon, Manager of Centre Operations and Casework at Ace of Clubs, commented:
“I would like to thank SWR for choosing Ace of Clubs as a charity partner over the last two years, and hope that at some point in the future we have an opportunity to partner again.
“Ace of Clubs receives no government funding, so our partnership with SWR has been invaluable for restoring dignity to our service users, and bringing comfort and warmth to homeless and vulnerable adults in and around the Clapham area.
“Simply put, we couldn’t do what we do without amazing people like those at SWR.”
This autumn, SWR marked the successful rollout of lifesaving defibrillators to all of its 154 staffed stations, working with the Alex Wardle Foundation to raise awareness of sudden arrhythmic death syndrome and provide CPR training for colleagues.
Throughout October, SWR supported Missing People’s ‘Safe Way Home’ campaign to encourage anybody who is thinking of going missing, or is already missing, to the contact the Missing People helpline.
SWR has also supported a gala for Baby Necessities, a bank providing new and pre-loved items to families, and invited SERV Surrey & London, a free blood-delivery service for the NHS, to fundraise on the concourse at London Waterloo station.
In the New Year, SWR will announce its new charity partners for 2024-25. Potential partners are nominated by SWR colleagues, and a shortlist is put to a company-wide vote to select partners for the next two years.
SWR grants from its Customer and Communities Improvement Fund (CCIF) have benefitted communities across its network. A total of 58 small and medium-sized projects received funding for the year 2023-24. One beneficiary is Vauxhall City Farm in Lambeth, which sets out its project here.
Applications for the 2024-25 round of CCIF can be submitted until the end of Sunday 31 December and SWR encourages anyone on the network with a suitable project proposal to apply. More information about what projects may qualify and how to apply for a grant can be found on SWR’s website.
Image credit: SWR
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