According to the Railway Children charity, thousands of children across the UK, India and East Africa either run away or are forced to leave their homes every year. Poverty, neglect, violence and abuse are just some of the circumstances many children face in their daily lives, and having nowhere else to turn to they end up alone on the streets.
The Railway Children is a charity dedicated to seeking out vulnerable children living on the streets, offering them refuge, and the chance of a better life. Over the last 20 years the Railway Children have reached over 275,000 children across the UK, India and East Africa, but there are still millions of children in danger of abuse and exploitation, and so charities like the Railway Children are a lifeline.
This year the Railway Children set up the first ever ‘Big Station Sleepout’, taking place in four railway stations across the UK. On the 31st of January 2019, people from across the nation volunteered to spend the night in London Bridge Station, Liverpool Lime Street, Manchester Piccadilly or Birmingham New Street to raise awareness and essential donations for the Railway Children.
RSS Infrastructure (RSSI), a leading supplier of infrastructure services and INFRA Skills, the UK’s premier safety critical and non-safety critical training provider, put together a team to take part in the event. Staff from RSSI and INFRA Skills swapped the comfort of their warm beds, to spend the night on the floor of Birmingham’s Grand Central Station, in order to collect sponsorship money kindly donated by friends, family and staff. Wearing their Bodyguard Workwear thermal jumpsuits, the RSSI and INFRA Skills team were able to stay warm on one of the coldest nights of the year. Unfortunately, there are children facing these conditions every night, and that is why events like this are crucial to raise vital funds that will get children off the street, finding them long-term care and security.
The event was hugely successful, and RSSI and INFRA Skills managed to raise over £700 for this worthy cause. With so many people getting involved in the event, the Railway Children managed to double their target fundraising amount of £30,000, having now reached a staggering £60,000. This money will play a huge role in seeing many children get the support and protection they need, helping vulnerable young people across the UK, India and East Africa.
