As part of a historic change to the London railway network, an overground line between Stratford to Richmond has been named after an evangelical Christian hospital – which hopes the recognition will further its efforts to ‘do God’s work’.
Transport for London (TFL) named The Mildmay line after the Mildmay Mission Hospital in Shoreditch, largely in acknowledgement of the help it provided during the 1980s during the HIV/AIDS crisis. The honour is a huge boost for the hospital who, just under a year ago, were facing closure due to NHS funding cuts – they now hope the spotlight will bring much-needed financial stability as they continue treating HIV patients and caring for the homeless.
Speaking to en, hospital CEO Geoff Coleman said: ‘What a lot of people won’t know is that while we’ve been a part of the NHS since the mid 1980’s, we are a still Christian charity, and this plays out in different ways. If other NHS hospitals overspend, they will be underwritten by the treasury. If we overspend, we go broke. We operate on faith and rely a lot on donations and grants – so having our profile raised across London and internationally will be a big help.’
