Strangers Raise Over £5,000 For Homeless Man Who's Now Been Offered A Job

Strangers have raised over £5,000 for a homeless man after a Twitter post went viral. Watch below:

Harry Beardsley, from Reading, bumped into John in the street on Wednesday (22 December) and invited him for a couple of pints at the pub.

After playing a bit of pool and having a chat, Harry shared a post to his account, asking people if they had any work going for him.

He wrote: "Met a homeless lad today called John. Decided to take him for lunch, a few beers and some pool.

"He’s 28, has done kitchen work and bar work before. Based in Reading. If anyone has any work going please DM me. Would love to help him out.

"Please RT to get some coverage."

And in the space of a few hours, people came together and managed to raise £5,600 for John, enough to pay for six months rents, some new clothes and a haircut.

As well as that, numerous people got in touch to see if he wanted a job.

One guy offered John a trial shift working for a scaffolding firm in Woodley, a local gym gifted him a three-month membership and a life coach offered him some sessions to help with any advice he might need.

The pub where Harry and John went for a pint also offered John, who has kitchen and bar experience, a trial shift.

And a man who runs a commercial cleaning company has asked to speak to John about possible opportunities.

Thanking people for their support, Harry wrote: "ABSOLUTELY OVERWHELMED WITH THS SUPPORT! We have stopped donations as we now have enough for a deposit, six months rent and some money to get him sorted.

"He has a job offer as well! We are going to see some places later today. Thank you so much to everyone who has helped."

And in a video posted by Harry, John said: "Thank you everyone for helping me, I’m going to get some rent in a place and a job and in 2022 I wish everyone love.

"I hope you have a great 2022, and the rest of your life. Thank you so much."

People online praised Harry for supporting John and sharing his story.

One user said: "Well done mate, always feel so sorry for homeless people, especially this time of year. What you’ve done for this young man is incredible!

"You should be knighted! Happy New year to you John and good luck!"

While another added: "Harry Wow! We all need a friend at times, but you've just got yourself a new family member. Merry Christmas."

Featured Image Credit: Harry Beardsley

Topics: London, Christmas, Twitter

Dominic Smithers

Dominic Smithers is LADbible's Editorial Lead. After graduating from the University of Leeds with a degree in French and History, he went on to write for the Manchester Evening News, the Accrington Observer and the Macclesfield Express. So as you can imagine, he’s spent many a night wondering just how useful that second language has been. But c'est la vie.

@SmithersDom