26/10/2026
Some strange objects occasionally turn up at stations.
Recently a mobile scooter was left on Platform 1 at London Kings Cross with a notice that said, "This vehicle appears to be abandoned. If you are the owner of this vehicle, please retrieve it."
Hopefully, the owner of the mobile scooter recovered it before it had to be taken away by security staff, and kudos to the train company for leaving it on display to give opportunity for retrieval.
Being abandoned is a sad state. Some people feel this way. Loneliness is a distressing condition. But it is curable. Reaching out for help is a start. Having someone ask how you are is an opening. Our Railway Mission Chaplains are available to all rail staff to provide comfort, care and a conversation that can often help displace the feeling of abandonment, or signpost a person to another agency that can help.
Steve Rowe, one of our Railway Mission Chaplains, was casually speaking to a staff member recently, asking how they were. "Terrible!" came the reply. Their brother had been diagnosed with terminal cancer, having already lost a leg in an attempt to stem the spread, but it had taken over much of his spinal area and was considered inoperable. The staff member had felt alone in this, but that simple conversation opened up an avenue of support. I asked if they would like prayer for their situation and for their brother, to which the reply was "Yes!"
Our chaplains meet staff members all the time and open up or continue conversations, never knowing unless they tell them whether that person is feeling alone or abandoned at that moment. But we are there, starting conversations that sometimes lead to a door of hope.
