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Tuesday 17 Dec 2024

THIS WEEK: Network Rail staff on hand to help people wrap up Christmas shopping in aid of charity

Region & Route:

Southern: Wessex

| Southern

Network Rail staff volunteers will be on hand at London Waterloo this week to help Christmas shoppers wrap their presents and raise vital funds for the Shelter charity.

Network Rail staff volunteers will be on hand at London Waterloo this week to help Christmas shoppers wrap their presents and raise vital funds for housing and homeless charity Shelter.

From Monday 16 December until Friday 20 December, volunteers will be in place at the central London station for ‘Wrapland’ – assisting passengers with wrapping their Christmas presents at no cost, while encouraging donations to support the vital work of Shelter.

Shelter believes home is everything, and they support the millions of people that are being affected by the housing emergency. New research from the charity shows at least 354,000 people in England, including 161,500 children, will spend Christmas without a home. As homelessness continues to soar, Shelter’s frontline services are doing all they can to support thousands of people facing homelessness this winter – from providing expert advice to families stuck in unsafe and unsuitable temporary accommodation, to giving emergency help to people at risk of having to sleep rough.

Mark Goodall, Network Rail’s Wessex Route Director, said: “I would like to thank the volunteers, who have kindly given up their time to wrap presents in aid of Shelter.

I hope that passengers can benefit from the wrapping services that are being provided and are able to donate generously.

“Shelter is a fantastic charity and the work they do is vital to ensure that people have a roof over their head.”

Andy Harris, Director of Income Generation at Shelter, said: “It is unimaginable that so many families will spend the festive season homeless, or trapped in overcrowded, damp temporary accommodation owing to sky-high private rents and a severe shortage of genuinely affordable social homes.

“At Shelter, we’re doing everything we can to support families facing homelessness this winter, but we couldn’t do this vital work without the support of our partners like Network Rail. With their help, we are able to provide the advice, support, and practical help families need to find and keep a safe place to call home this winter, and campaign for lasting change. By getting your presents wrapped at Waterloo Station this Christmas and making a donation you can help towards Network Rail and Shelter’s shared mission.”

The ‘Wrapland’ initiative raised £2,000 in December last year, adding to Network Rail’s impressive fundraising feats for Shelter. Their pop-up charity shops, including at London Victoria, have raised over £48,000 for the charity while giving rail passengers more affordable options for their holiday shopping. Network Rail has also donated space for Shelter’s ‘Walk for Home’ fundraiser, helping them to raise more than £200,000.