Commuters support Grenfell Tower collection

A team of six off-duty railway workers collected £6,500 for survivors of the Grenfell Tower tragedy from generous commuters at King’s Cross station, in just two days.

And staff at other Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) stations on Southern, Great Northern and Thameslink have raised £12,000 more, all donated via the Evening Standard Dispossessed Fund.

The King's Cross team, led by GTR's trainee driver Nicholas Hair, were from five different companies. They spent their two rest days last week in uniform at the London station.

Nicholas, whose driver training programme is based at King’s Cross, said: “Passengers were so generous with their change, and many put in large notes. I had to make several trips to the bank to pay it all in. Network Rail were very helpful in giving us immediate permission to make the collection. They waived the usual two weeks’ notice.”

23-year-old Nicholas, from Barnehurst in south-east London, will qualify as a driver on GTR's Great Northern trains next month. Along with Nicholas, the collecting team at King's Cross represented Southeastern, South West Trains, GB Railfreight and Virgin Trains East Coast.

ENDS