Mick’s Hut, an unexpected saviour, came to the aid of 50 schoolchildren and their teachers from Glasgow, earning the appreciation of the group.
The takeaway in the city centre offered discounted chips to the students and staff of Greenfaulds High School after they found themselves stranded in Preston due to train cancellations.
The group had been traveling on an Avanti West Coast Service from London to Glasgow Central on the afternoon of Monday, September 25th when they were informed that the service would end at Preston.
Upon disembarking at Preston, they were initially told they would be accommodated in the first-class carriage of the next service at 9.43pm. However, they were later informed that the later train had also been cancelled.
While the unfortunate Scots awaited Avanti to arrange an alternative, Mick’s Hut stepped in and displayed genuine hospitality to the stranded group in Preston.
Despite facing the challenge of low potato stock, they quickly arranged for buckets of potatoes to be brought to the takeaway on Corporation Street. The stranded group was soon enjoying 60 bags of chips.
A spokesperson for Greenfaulds expressed gratitude towards Mick’s Hut in Preston, stating: “One last mention for Mick’s Hut in Preston. They didn’t have sufficient stock at 9 pm to serve all of us, but after some calls, buckets of potatoes arrived by car! 40 minutes later, we were all fed at a significantly reduced cost. Heartwarming to know that businesses like this exist.”
Ultimately, the Greenfaulds group had to arrange their own coach and finally departed Preston after 11.30pm, with an expected arrival time of 2.30am.
Greenfaulds also shared feedback directed at Avanti: “Hi @AvantiWestCoast, we’ve been stuck at Preston since around 6:30 pm with 50 12-year-olds. It’s now 10:08 pm. We’ve just been informed that there is no way to get us back home to Glasgow, as we can’t send the kids alone in taxis. A staff member has informed us that we are effectively stuck here. Thankfully, we’ve managed to arrange, on our own, a coach to take us home. If we hadn’t, we would have had 50 young children stranded on the streets of Preston once the station closes. Apologies from your wonderful staff here are appreciated, but they are not enough. Very disappointing.”