Thank you so much to everyone who has contributed to the collection for those who are stuck in Calais. The donations have been taken to the drop off point in Meopham. They are being taken to Calais this week. They are so pleased with tents, camping equipment, food, cooking utensils, clothes, shoes, blankets and toiletries. Help Calais has rented a warehouse so that they can sort and distribute effectively. They have managed to do this through crowd-funding.
Some people have asked when dropping off contributions if their offerings will be useful and of course various reports mean it is difficult to know what to think. So just to reassure folk that everything taken to the collection point will be used. Help Calais are in touch with a haulage company who are going to take anything that is not needed in Calais further into Europe where these things are in short supply. Similarly, the tents which will be used immediately in Calais will, once some stronger shelters have been constructed as winter approaches, be packed up and used in Greece.
I will be keeping in touch with Tom and when they are ready to receive further contributions I'll let you know. If there is anyone who would be willing to drive, with others, to the warehouse in Calais let me know and I will put you in touch with Tom. One of the interesting aspects of this little drop in the ocean of help for those who find themselves in difficult circumstances is hearing the conversations those in Help Calais have had with those in the camp. Finding out about the stories of individual people, and their feelings as they journey, gives, I find, a rounded perspective.
Christine Adams
