“It All Started with a Train Ticket and a Pocketful of Change…”
When I served in the forces in the 1980s, the typical weekend routine was the same: kit packed, car shares sorted, and everyone heading off across the UK for a well-earned break.
On this particular Friday, I was travelling from Bulford to Hull with another squaddie—Johno (Mark, if you ever read this, you know who you are), who was heading to Leeds. We caught a shared car lift to Barnsley train station and ran to catch the train. As we were sprinting, Johno suddenly stopped…..?
He reached into his pocket and handed all his loose change to a homeless man sitting by the platform entrance.
The train had literally just started pulling out, but without us! Thankfully, those old carriages still had exterior door handles, so we sprinted and managed to jump on board.
Out of breath, I asked him,
“What was that all about?”
He simply said,
“My uncle’s homeless. So anytime I see someone in that situation, I help.”
That moment stuck with me, and it changed me.
Since then, I’ve made it part of my life to do the same. Whether in my hometown in East Yorkshire or York, Manchester, Newcastle—you name it—I do what I can. I generally don’t give money as I don’t want to support a habit they may have. So I often buy food and drinks… even a chocolate bar or a packet of biscuits can make a massive difference to someone on a rainy day.
And let me tell you something: you’ve never seen a smile like the one you can get by giving a homeless person a simple thing like a bar of chocolate!
It’s a small luxury they wouldn’t usually buy for themselves.
Can you imagine that?
Now, I’m not asking you to do what Johno did… or what I do.
But if you ever feel moved to try—even just once—it might just change your life, too.
And if you support YourFreeClassifiedAds.com, you’re already part of the solution.
Together, we can help many more people across the UK facing tough times.
It starts with kindness, grows with community, and makes a bigger impact than you might imagine.
You can also help with a simple donation to our Crowfunding Page, which will help launch this website with all the bells and whistles in place for August 1st – click here
