Hard-up train passenger wakes to find £100 gift from stranger
Ella Johannessen woke up to find the money, in £20 notes, on her lap underneath a napkin
A kind-hearted stranger gave £100 to a fellow train passenger after overhearing her discussing her dire financial situation on a train from Peterborough.
Ella Johannessen, 23, was travelling to Leeds on a Virgin Trains East Coast service to visit friends on Saturday when the mystery donor heard her discussing how “stressed and upset” she was about her finances during a phone call to her mother.
After waking up from a nap she found the gift of £100 in cash lying under a napkin on her lap.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
A Facebook post she wrote hoping to find the person who left the money has been shared more than 3,000 times.
The 23-year-old Leeds Beckett University graduate told the BBC she “got into debt during her final year of study after giving up her part-time job to concentrate on her course”.
Johannessen boarded a Virgin Trains East Coast service to Leeds at Peterborough station on Saturday afternoon and proceeded to call her mother.
“I spoke to her about how little money I had, how worried I was about my finances and I got upset,” she wrote.
After waking up, she found the money and started to cry as she was “incredibly thankful” for the kind stranger's help.
She said: “After a terrible 18 months where I lost my father and both of his parents it showed me that there is kindness and good people in the world.”
Despite the post going viral Johannessen told the Daily Mirror she is still yet to find the kind passenger - and she's not too sure the mystery donor wants to be found.
“I would like to tell the person that they are a fantastic human being and it has really lifted my spirits and massively helped me out,” she said.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Today's political cartoons - November 10, 2024
Cartoons Sunday's cartoons - civic duty, uncertain waters, and more
By The Week US Published
-
5 ladylike cartoons about women's role in the election
Cartoons Artists take on the political gender gap, Lady Liberty, and more
By The Week US Published
-
The right to die: what can we learn from other countries?
The Explainer A look at the world's assisted dying laws as MPs debate Kim Leadbeater's proposed bill
By The Week Published
-
‘Labour’s incoherent response to the rail strikes has profound implications’
Instant Opinion Your digest of analysis from the British and international press
By The best columns Published
-
Instant Opinion: Put the ‘spring’ back in the Arab Spring
In Depth Your guide to the best columns and commentary on Friday 17 January
By The Week Staff Published
-
Network Rail to make all train station toilets free
In Depth Passengers will no longer need to spend a penny from April 2019
By The Week Staff Published
-
Why are UK rail fares so expensive?
Speed Read Protests at rail stations as anger grows over ‘disgraceful’ 3.1% fare rise
By The Week Staff Last updated
-
New ‘millennial’ railcard to go on sale: who is eligible and how to buy one
In Depth Card will cut train fares by one-third for people aged 26-30, but no firm date has yet been set for launch
By The Week Staff Published
-
South Western Railway strike: what you need to know
Speed Read Train services in and out of Waterloo will be disrupted for all of December
By The Week Staff Last updated
-
Damning report reveals causes of train timetable chaos
Speed Read Transport watchdog says Network Rail, two train operators and Department of Transport ‘all made mistakes’
By The Week Staff Last updated
-
Breastfeeding mum ‘forced to stand on packed train’
In Depth Kate Hitchens said people smiled at her but did not offer to exchange places
By The Week Staff Published