Reader's Letter: A camp full of hope and optimism

I have recently returned from a trip to Calais, volunteering in the refugee camp which is now referred to as 'The Jungle', with a small group of volunteers from Manchester/Cheshire. What I witnessed there, changed my already sympathetic views towards the refugees I encountered. What I expected, was a camp full of downtrodden, desperate people; what I found was a camp full of hope and optimism. The people I encountered there had typically undergone long and harrowing journeys to reach Calais and, upon arrival, had been greeted by nothing more than a field, some tents and a handful of volunteers, doing their best to help with the limited resources at their disposal. No government assistance, no NGOs or large-scale charity operations, just people like you and me, doing our best to help with what time we have.

The one overriding response I got from the refugees was that they were happy just to be safe. Even though they had little or no material possessions, they could sleep at night, knowing they would wake up safe. Many told tales of being given terrible ultimatums, such as join the army and fight with us, or we consider you an enemy and you and your family will be killed. Others spoke of waking up to the sound of explosions, only to realise that their friends, their families or their neighbours had been killed. In the face of these conditions, what choice do they have but to run and to seek out peace? The majority of the people I encountered were well educated and spoke good English, which is the main reason they want to come to the UK, rather than remain in mainland Europe. Nobody mentioned benefits to me, or hand-outs, they all had a burning desire to work, to provide for their families and for their children to be able to study. Basis fundamental rights which we should all enjoy, regardless of where we were fortunate enough, or unfortunate enough to be born.

The majority of the work I was doing whilst there was building shelters for the most vulnerable; women, children and families. The vast majority of people are still living in tents, often on damp, uneven ground, barely protected from the elements, which are quickly deteriorating. In the time I was there, we were able to house around 15 families, which is a tiny fraction of the people which need help. Of course, there are other volunteers on the ground and more arriving daily, but more help is needed! The feeling of happiness watching those families move into what is still basically a wooden hut, cannot be expressed in words. It meant so much to these people, just to have four walls and a roof over their children's heads.

It is easy to see the images on our televisions and in the newspapers and spare a moment to feel for the people we see, but they need your help, not your sympathy. Most of the donation centres and charities in Calais have been flooded with donations, so there is obviously a lot of goodwill and good intentions, but what is needed now are funds and volunteers. I am involved with a group called Manchester2Calais and we are raising funds and bringing together volunteers to help ease the suffering of those in Calais and further afield in Europe. Can you help?

If you would like to donate towards the cause, see our fundraising page http://gogetfunding.com/manchester-calais-migrant-support-convoy/

Alternatively, if you would like to travel to Calais and help on the ground, your skills, whatever they may be, could be put to good use. Those with any kind of building/DIY experience are needed to help build the shelters, but just as important are those who can help sorting and distributing the mountains of donations which are sat in warehouses. You can find the group on Facebook – Manchester2Calais

Cllr Bradley Russell