A homeless man has been treated to a night out at the PDC World Darts Championship at Alexandra Palace in London, thanks to a group of friends from Bournemouth. The men had a spare ticket for the event and decided to give it to the man, identified only as John. They also paid for his food and drink and organised a hotel room for him for the night. The friends, dressed in Mexican costumes, came up with the idea while drinking in a London venue before the event.
Craig Wells, one of the group, told the BBC: “It’s not about the money. We could have got £75 back but he really enjoyed it… and he’ll remember it for the rest of his life.” Wells said the group had been considering selling the spare ticket before one of them suggested giving it to a homeless person. They found John outside a pub and invited him to join them for the evening.
John turned out to be a fan of darts. “He said to a friend of mine, it’s been on his bucket list – he’d always wanted to go to the darts,” said Wells. “The funny thing was, they did a bull’s-eye competition… and he ended up getting a free drink from that.” Wells said the group’s gesture had helped to fulfil John’s dream: “He hasn’t got a lot in life but he’s got something to remember now.”
Homelessness in the UK has risen sharply in recent years. The number of people sleeping rough in England has increased by 169% since 2010, according to the charity Crisis. Earlier this month, a homeless man was found dead at Westminster underground station, only yards from the Houses of Parliament. After a petition signed by more than 300,000 people, the government is to hold a parliamentary debate on homelessness on 27 February
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