Arriva Rail London (ARL) and Transport for London (TfL) have partnered with the national homelessness charity Crisis to fundraise on World Homeless Day at London Overground five stations along what will become the Mildmay line later this year.

On Thursday 10 October, any customers who buy hot drinks at cafes at Camden Road, Gospel Oak, Hackney Central, Highbury & Islington, and Shepherd’s Bush London Overground stations will support people experiencing homelessness. TfL and ARL will donate the cost of those hot drinks to Crisis up to £1,000 per station, and Crisis volunteers will also fundraise at stations along the future Mildmay line.

ARL is also partnering with City Harvest this October to help deliver 50,000 meals to those in need across the capital. London Overground staff will host food collection points at 17 London Overground stations and will work with City Harvest to divert quality food from local businesses that would otherwise go to waste and redistribute it to those facing food poverty across London.

Victoria Liddell, programme manager for line naming at Arriva Rail London, said: “We’re proud to have teamed up with Transport for London to support Crisis this World Homelessness Day. Our colleagues dedicate a lot of time and effort to supporting charities close to our network, helping the communities we serve through tough times. We hope that the work we are doing with both Crisis and City Harvest this month will not only raise vital funds, but also raise awareness of the challenges faced by those experiencing homelessness and food insecurity.”

Supporting the future of the Mildmay Hospital

Later this year, London Overground lines will be given new names and colours in a historic change to capital’s transport network. The London Overground line, which runs between Richmond and Clapham Junction to Stratford, will be named the Mildmay line to honour the small NHS charitable hospital that has been caring for all Londoners over many years, notably its pivotal role in the HIV/AIDS crisis in the 1980s and its ongoing work to support people experiencing homelessness today.

Crisis partners with Pathway, the leading homeless healthcare charity, which works with the Mildmay Hospital. The hospital became the first specialist unit aiming to provide a pioneering step-down medical service to support people experiencing homeless in London and surrounding areas in 2020.

The Mildmay Hospital now runs a ground-breaking service employing the expertise of doctors, nurses and therapists to ease the burden on NHS hospitals by providing rehabilitative healthcare for people are facing homelessness or rough sleeping and recovering from illness or injury. Once discharged from Mildmay, the aim is that people will be supported by specialist homelessness charities.