About us

Michael Stratton the co-ordinator and founder of the charity has been working with the homeless since 1977. He was then a volunteer with the charity Crisis (at Christmas) at their Open Christmas Shelters. In the late nineteen eighties, changes to the Social Security benefit rules changed the pattern of street homelessness, resulting in more young people on the streets. The boisterous young tended to dominate the Christmas shelters whilst the older more vulnerable preferred to stay on their pitches although many facilities such as day centres tend to close at Christmas. Following a feasibility study, it was decided that if they were not coming to us, we would go to them. So this is why the London Mobile Christmas Service was founded in 1992. In 1999 the London Mobile Christmas Service was registered as an independent charity as it was felt that the specialised service could be better delivered by a smaller dedicated team.

During the Christmas week in the past we have used: -

• a forty-foot articulated lorry, converted into a clothing store, first aid and hair cutting rooms.
• a 7 1/2-ton lorry converted into a kitchen, complete with gas oven, hobs and an electric microwave.
• a large van which carries the stores
• a similar sized vehicle houses an 8 KVA portable generator, which provides power and lighting for the whole outfit.
• a minibus which transport our volunteer helpers

All these vehicles were either hired or borrowed. This convoy visited pre-designated stopping points in London.

With the improvement and growth of facilities for the homeless the numbers we see on the streets has decreased considerably and Christmas 2004 was the last year that we ran a street service. We feel that this side of the operation has evolved into providing cover for projects that would otherwise be closed for Christmas. In 2007 we plan to open centres in Cricklewood, Bayswater and Kentish Town. These are planned to coincide with the closing times of nearby day centres allowing continuity of service for homeless people and giving permanent staff a well-earned break. This way our guests can be in the warm and dry and can stay the whole day should they wish.

We run for six days over Christmas and during this time:

• over 2000 freshly cooked hot meals are served. A full English breakfast is very popular with our guests
• hot drinks too numerous to count are made
• fresh clothing for many people is provided each day. New underclothes and socks are always available
• toiletries such as soap, shampoo, toothpaste, toothbrushes and razors are distributed
• hair cutting and first aid is available for guests
• the Dogs Trust work with us providing care for our guests' dogs
• games, television and live entertainment are also provided.

We help not only the street homeless but also those who are vulnerable and live in poor quality housing with little or no facilities. As well as giving material comfort we also provide companionship at Christmas to our homeless friends.

Temporary office and yard space plus all the lorries and vans are kindly lent, during December, by Lawrence M Barry, a textile recycling company in Canning Town. Without this generosity we could not operate.

It costs upwards of £10,000 each year to run this charity. Administrative costs are kept to a minimum by having no paid workers. We rely entirely on cash donations and donations of material goods.