1884 Dock Street Kitchen welcomes homeless guests for Christmas

Some of the guests enjoying the festivities.

SHARP suits and some garish festive jumpers were the dress code as award-winning restaurant 1884 Dock Street Kitchen opened its doors to welcome around 50 homeless people for a free Christmas lunch.

Guests enjoyed traditional fare of turkey with trimmings and Christmas pudding as well as seasonal songs from Hull-based party band Rapture, all served up by volunteers from the restaurant’s staff and even customers.

The lunch was organised in partnership with homelessness charity Emmaus Hull and East Yorkshire following the success of a similar celebration last year. James Birch, General Manager of 1884 Dock Street Kitchen, said he hopes to make it an annual event.

James said: “The people who came absolutely loved it. They had a great day and it felt fantastic to do, giving people the opportunity to have something that they would not normally get at this time of year.

“The feedback last year was that we did a good thing. That’s why we decided to do it again. It’s about having a good time, everyone relaxing and forgetting the world outside for a couple of hours and losing themselves in the moment.”

Rapture performed free of charge, with one member of the band squeezing the gig into his lunch break. Front of house staff included Rory and Mimi Gordon, a couple who have visited 1884 Dock Street Kitchen more than a hundred times since it opened in June 2012 and who welcomed people making their first visit.

Rory said: “We first came here just two weeks after the restaurant opened and we have been coming for lunch every couple of weeks since then. We love everything about it. The food is absolutely exquisite and it’s such a nice team of people.

“When we heard about this event we thought it was a wonderful thing to do for the community and we decided we wanted to support it, working front of house and helping with the washing up afterwards.”

Kelly Thompson, Director of Emmaus Hull and East Riding, said: “It was a real privilege to be involved last year and everyone said what a huge success it was and how lovely it was.

“We wanted to replicate it and we were able to do that thanks to the kindness of James and his team of volunteers. We invited some people from night shelters and others who are short-term homeless, people who we knew would really welcome and appreciate the opportunity to get involved.

“Some of the responses we received spoke volumes. There was some apprehension as people arrived because it is not an environment they are used to, but they loved it – particularly the food!

“We rely largely on the kindness and support of the wider community and local businesses in Hull.”

For further information about Emmaus please visit http://www.emmaus.org.uk/hull