Press release -
Thameslink helps provide uplifting day trip for people living below poverty line
Twenty-five homeless people and individuals living below the poverty line enjoyed an uplifting day out at the seaside thanks to Thameslink.
Thameslink supported the Camden-based Friday Club’s outing by providing free travel from St Pancras to Brighton to give members some respite from their daily struggles.
Friday Club is a drop-in service run by C4WS Homeless Project and King’s Cross Methodist Church. It opens every Friday between 11am and 2pm, offering a safe and welcoming space for people in need. Members may be living on the streets, have been previously homeless, living below the poverty line or socially isolated.
Yesterday's (12 September) day trip to Brighton is the second in Friday Club’s history, following the huge success of their inaugural trip last year. In every members’ survey carried out by the Friday Club, one of the top requests from members was to have a day out at the seaside.
C4WS Homeless Project Manager Nikki Barnett said: “Following the trip last year, we have been asked constantly when we are going to do it again. For our members, many of whom are rough sleepers or living below the poverty line, leaving London for the day is a luxury that they would not otherwise be able to afford.
“Thanks to our wonderful sponsor, Thameslink, we have been able to take 25 Friday Club members, plus 10 volunteers, to Brighton for the day. We are extremely grateful to have been given these tickets for the group, as this was the biggest cost for the day. Having this covered meant that we could offer the lunch, ice creams and activities for free for all of our members to enjoy.”
Govia Thameslink Railway’s Corporate Social Responsibility Manager Katherine Cox said: “We are pleased to help Friday Club take members on an uplifting day out and we are glad they had such a good time. It is a key part of our corporate social responsibility strategy that we support causes that our colleagues are passionate about and one of those causes is homelessness.”
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Govia Thameslink Railway
Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) operates Thameslink, Great Northern, Southern and Gatwick Express services as follows:
- Thameslink – cross-London services between Bedford/Peterborough/Cambridge and Brighton/Horsham/Littlehampton/East Grinstead, and between Luton/St Albans and Sutton/Wimbledon/Rainham; plus services between London and Sevenoaks
- Great Northern – services between London and Welwyn, Hertford, Peterborough, Cambridge and King’s Lynn
- Southern – services between London and the Sussex coast (Brighton, Worthing, Eastbourne, Bognor Regis, Hastings) and parts of Surrey, Kent and Hampshire (Ashford International, Southampton, Portsmouth)
- Gatwick Express – fast, non-stop direct services between Gatwick Airport and London Victoria
www.southernrailway.com, www.thameslinkrailway.com, www.gatwickexpress.com, www.greatnorthernrail.com
