Rachel Stevens And Jessica-Jane Clement Feed Homeless Youths In London (PICTURES)

PHOTOS: Stars Serve A Slap-Up Meal To Homeless Youngsters

Stars gathered in the centre of Soho to serve up the nation's favourite food to homeless young people, as part of an annual event organised by Centrepoint charity.

Rachel Stevens was among the celebrities who gathered in the Golden Union, Poland Street, to dish up fish 'n chips to more than 80 Centrepoint youths on Wednesday night. The former S Club 7 member and Strictly Come Dancing contestant said she was honoured to "really give something to a fantastic cause".

Centrepoint supports more than 1,200 16 to 25-year-olds each year and the Eat At The Table (EATT) event is aimed simply to give homeless young people the chance to eat a warm meal in a welcoming atmosphere.

"They deserve to be treated with the same respect as anyone else," said John Raynham, head of fundraising at the charity.

The charity, based in London and the north east of England, hopes to help some of the 80,000 young people who experience homelessness every year. The EATT event is just one of the ways the charity tries to raise awareness of the issue, which is becoming increasingly more common as the UK slips further into financial crisis and NEET numbers rise.

The charity helps equip young people with the skills they need for the future. Danielle, a Centrepoint resident, said she had been taught interpersonal skills, as well as maths and English, but, like many people her age, has yet to find a job.

Jessica-Jane Clement, star of the BBC's Real Hustle and former FHM model, told the Huffington Post UK: "It is so easy to wrap yourself up and forget about homeless people in this weather. It's so great to give something back.

"I don't really know how to seek out charities but I will always be there with a big smile and help wherever I can."

Meanwhile, Allen Leech, probably better known as the charming Irish chaffeur Branson in ITV's Downton Abbey, was on hand to take orders and help serve up.

Despite saying he had never been involved in "anything like this before", he told us he would love to become more active with the charity in the future.

"It's something I have always wanted to do. I think Centrepoint's a great charity so I jumped at the chance to help out."

The charity has seen other high profile figures lend a hand to the cause, most memorably the charity's patron Prince William, when he slept rough for the night in 2009.

But for Danielle, it was more than just a meal. The event marked a momentous occasion - finding out she had got her own house.

"I can't move in yet, the boiler's broken. But I'm so excited."

Danielle, who has been homeless for more than a year, said she had experience prejudice against her by others who judged her for being at Centrepoint.

"People see you coming out of the house and give you disgusting, dirty looks. It's not our fault we're here but they just assume anyway. They look down on us," she told HuffPost.

"More needs to be done to raise awareness about Centrepoint and what they do," she added.

Danielle dreams of setting up her own fundraising event which she says she will call "World Food Day".

For this young woman, there is hope for the future but there are many more like her who haven't been so lucky.

So when you're hurrying home in the evening, cursing at the bitter cold, think of the thousands of young people who have no home to hurry to and who have to spend night after night on the streets, often through no fault of their own.

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