Commuters Urged To Help Christmas Shoebox Appeal
South Western Railway collecting gifts for vulnerable children and adults
Staff with Christmas Shoeboxes collected in a previous year
Passengers using a number of local stations on the South Western Railway (SWR) network are being urged to contribute to its Christmas Shoebox Appeal.
Participating stations include Putney, Wimbledon and Earlsfield and each will have a collection points for shoeboxes of gifts between 6-11 December. There will also be collection points at Waterloo and Clapham Junction.
Items collected will be distributed through local charities to vulnerable children and adults and the homeless.
SWR is aiming to beat last year’s total of 750 shoeboxes and more than 600 individual gifts. Staff at participating stations will be working with agency partners Adecco Rail and STM to help make the festive season just a bit better for people in difficult circumstances.
The hope is that people will prepare a small shoebox of gifts, or even just a single gift for someone who is vulnerable or facing homelessness this Christmas and take it to one of the participating stations, where staff will be collecting them to pass to their nominated local charities.
Jim O’Brien, Station Contracts Manager for SWR, who is coordinating the appeal, said, "We know that local charities based in the communities around our stations provide vital support for the vulnerable and the homeless all year round, but the holiday season is an especially difficult time for so many.
“We hope that people who live near and travel from participating stations will donate what they can and help the less fortunate this Christmas.”
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December 1, 2021