14 February 2024 •
[Wednesday 14 February] As part of HARP’s ‘Have a Heart’ campaign, colleagues from c2c were on hand at Southend Central station this morning to greet customers with Valentine’s Day cheer and chocolates, whilst raising vital funds and awareness of homelessness in and around the city.
c2c has long supported and promoted the fantastic work of HARP, Southend’s leading homelessness charity, which has been providing housing, advice and support to thousands of people each year in the city since it launched in 2002.
Speaking from Southend Central station, c2c’s Customer Delivery Manager for Essex, Leah Cable, said: “We are delighted to be supporting HARP’s ‘Have a Heart’ campaign and there’s no better day to be spreading the word – and the love – than Valentine’s Day.
“I’d like to thank all our customers who took the time to stop and say hello during their morning commute, and to those who gave so generously to this important charity.
“It is a privilege to be able to highlight to many of our customers the work and role of HARP, and how their support and donations really do make a difference.”
As well as regularly providing HARP with bags of unclaimed clothing and other useful items which have not been collected from its lost property offices, earlier this week c2c visited HARP’s Bradbury Day Centre in Southend to present the team with a large donation of food and personal care items. The donation included hundreds of pairs of underwear (socks and pants) and essential food items such as cereal, fruit juice, biscuits and cakes.
Commenting, Lisa Walton, Community Fundraising Co-Ordinator, at HARP, said:
“HARP is most grateful to c2c for its ongoing support of our many fundraising activities in and around the city, including Harvest Festival food collections, lost property donations and ‘Have a Heart’ fundraising activities at stations across the c2c route.
“Although we are still in the process of counting the monies and donations received today, we have 16 separate events taking place – including cake sales, non-uniform days and bucket collections – I am confident that this will be our biggest and best ‘Have a Heart’ day ever.”
Every penny raised today will help local people experiencing homelessness to get the help, support or a place they can call home. If you would like to donate, please donate here.