On Friday 23 September 2016, the Lancaster London team left behind the luxury of the hotel, gathered their sleeping bags and headed to Paddington to sleep out through the night – all in the name of charity. As a result of the event, £6.5k has been raised for the local charity.
The Sleep Out was in partnership with homeless charity, West London Day Centre. All of the money raised from the Sleep Out will go directly towards the charity’s Advice Service, which helps people to move off the streets and back into accommodation. The annual event took place outside St James Church in Paddington.
During the Sleep Out, Community Ambassador, Margaret Pollock and two representatives from the charity were joined by a host of Lancaster London staff. The hotel’s General Manager Sally Beck was among the participants. With such dedicated leaders, it is no wonder the hotel has established itself as a key CSR player in the UK’s hospitality industry.
Following the Sleep Out, a homeless man named Damian (who is being supported by West London Day Centre’s Senior Project Workers) joined the team in the morning and showed his appreciation for the event by offering the participants orange juice.
Lancaster London’s staff members have embarked on countless projects throughout 2015 and 2016, including the hotel’s painters and decorators painting houses for EAVES victims, staff taking regular visits to schools to talk about the different roles of the hotel’s honey bees, plus staff spending time stuffing envelopes for COSMIC’s quarterly newsletters. Additionally, the hotel hosted two complimentary gatherings, notably a fundraising event for EAVES, as well as the Vital Regeneration Youth Showcase evening, both of which were staffed by hotel volunteers. There’s no denying that these efforts demonstrate CSR is at the forefront of Lancaster London’s business operations.
West London Day Centre:
West London Day Centre works on the frontline to help support those who are vulnerable and in need. Every day up to 100 street homeless people visit the day centre. To help alleviate their immediate hardships of rough sleeping, the charity provides day to day support and meals, as well as a range of specialist services with an on-site Homeless Health Team. They also run longer-term developmental groups including employment support, arts and music groups to build confidence, assist with social integration and support people in moving away from a street-based lifestyle. Every month the team of project workers help between 20 to 30 homeless people off the streets and back into accommodation.
Lancaster London, Lancaster Terrace, London W2 2TY
Reservations on 020 7551 6000 or visit www.lancasterlondon.com