Sign up to the Hull Live newsletter for daily updates and breaking news Sign up here! Thank you for subscribing See our privacy notice Invalid Email

A group of nearly 30 homeless people in Hull are set for an incredible Christmas after checking into one of the city’s swankiest hotels.

The DoubleTree by Hilton stepped in at the 11th hour after the Britannia Royal Hotel cancelled the bookings by Raise the Roof Project homeless organisation.

The Hull non-profit organisation paid £1,092 to occupy 14 twin rooms on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day - but the booking was later cancelled, with the Royal Hotel facing a furious backlash from residents across the city.

However, the Hilton has managed to rescue the generous bid to take homeless people off the street by putting 28 rough sleepers up for two nights with complimentary breakfast and Christmas dinner.

The organisation ran the same idea last year for 24 people at the city's ibis hotel.

(Image: Richard Addison)

Alan Briggs, 47, is well known in the city for carrying his dog, Susan, on his shoulders and became something of a celebrity during Hull 2017 City of Culture.

He has been homeless for 25 years and managed to sign up for a room in the Hilton.

He said: “This means a lot. I would have had nowhere to go for Christmas but this have been a Godsend.

“It is a pity this cannot happen throughout the year. I have been on the streets most of my life after a relationship broke down when I was 20 years old.”

Mr Briggs hope these couple of days of relative luxury will give him space to sort things out.

He said: “I am looking to evaluate my life and I am still hopeful of getting my own place.

“For the first time I am making some New Year resolutions to get alcohol-free and address my homelessness problems.

“When I became one of the characters for City of Culture I hoped that would be a turning point but no one actually came forward to help me.”

Watch: Hull's homeless sign in for two nights at the Hilton

Video Loading Video Unavailable Click to play Tap to play The video will start in 8 Cancel Play now

More than 28 people turned up outside Paragon station hoping to claim a bed at the Hilton. Free food was handed out, including pizza from East Hull Pizza, while the registration process took place.

(Image: Richard Addison)

After a lot of checking, Raise the Roof managed to allocate the rooms to the right people.

Founder Carl Simpson is delighted to have finally got to this point.

He said: “It is amazing. We have gone from rock bottom to being over the moon.

(Image: Richard Addison)

“It is awesome to now be able to give these people a fantastic Christmas. Travelodge has also says they have room to take those with dogs.

“I wouldn’t mind staying at the Hilton myself to be honest. It is incredible how people rallied and how quickly the Hilton acted.”

Mr Simpson says it is not just about two nights of luxury but can be a platform for so much more.

(Image: Richard Addison)

He said: “Someone who stayed at the Ibis last year was inspired to turn his life around now has his own place.

“The idea is that this hotel stay proves a carrot to motivate people to realise what they can achieve. It shows them what is possible.”

The homeless people staying at the Hilton will also enjoy a full Christmas dinner at 5pm on Christmas Day.

Follow Hull Live

Our daily newsletter - To get the latest headlines direct to your email inbox every day, click here .

Follow Hull Live on Facebook - Like our Facebook page to get the latest news in your feed and join in the lively discussions in the comments. Click here to give it a like!

Follow us on Twitter - For breaking news and the latest stories, click here to follow Hull Live on Twitter.

Follow us on Instagram - On the Hull Live Instagram page we share gorgeous pictures of our stunning city - and if you tag us in your posts, we could repost your picture on our page! We also put the latest news in our Instagram Stories. Click here to follow Hull Live on Instagram .