Chalking up some new ways to make friends
Since I have been volunteering in Calais, I have learnt that there are many ways to communicate with people, other than just talking. I have found that one way is playing games. When we go out to distribute in Calais and Dunkirk, we always take some games with us – usually football, volleyball, cricket and some smaller activities for those who don’t like sports as much. I always make new friends when playing games, as I’m able to spend time with people, and laugh and joke with them even if we don’t speak the same language. Today we took some …
Sharing a moment with a fellow film buff
When we meet refugees in France or Belgium, it is fascinating to discover more about their interests, career ambitions and hopes for the future. Recently I met a man from Ethiopia and I told him I hadn’t met many refugees from that country during my time in Brussels. He was very proud to tell me about his country and he spent a while showing me his home town of Aksum on a map. He hopes to return there when it is safe for him. As we chatted on he told me that he had been studying theatre studies in Aksum, …
Set designer organises huge donation of clothes and bedding
One of our contacts, Amy, just organised a fantastic donation for us through her job as a set designer. When she is working on a production for a film or TV show there are purchases of all sorts of things to decorate a set and provide props and costumes for the actors. Around 70% of the props are hired in, but the rest needs to be bought and are then ‘going spare’ at the end of filming. In December Amy and the team finished filming a TV series she has been working on for a year, and she didn’t have …
Sharing some Christmas cheer in Calais
Yesterday, for Christmas day, the team in Calais wanted to do something special. They set out as normal to distribute much needed thermals and blankets to the refugees at the hospital site, where we usually see around 120 people. But we also had a small, individually wrapped Christmas gift for each person, things like chocolate bars, playing cards, and notepads and pens. This was an important day because it gave us the chance to truly show the refugees they are welcome here, by sharing a small part of our culture with them. Many have never experienced Christmas before and it’s …
Donations for Calais delayed by cross channel closures
Despite the difficulty of doing anything as a collective group this year, students, staff and parents at Brighouse Sixth Form has been busy collecting clothes, sleeping bags, tents and warm coats to send to Calais. Over 65 students, teachers and friends contributed and a van was filled to the brim with donations, helped by the students drumming up support via their own Instagram accounts. Last weekend Nancy, one of the staff members, and her daughter set off for Calais in the van, only to be forced to turn around at 5pm on Sunday when they got to Peterborough, because of …
Ella’s ration challenge
For eight days during the second lockdown, I took on a ‘ration challenge’ and ate the equivalent that a member of a refugee family might get when living in Calais. I did this to raise money and awareness for @Care4Calais. The challenge was hard. I was hungry every day, eating about 600 calories and it negatively affected my energy levels and my mood. When I was struggling, I kept reminding myself how lucky I was. I still had a roof over my head, a warm bed to sleep in, clean and comfy clothes to wear, and all my friends and …
Sixth form student sets up coat collection for refugees
Heather, a sixth form student from Lady Manners School in Bakewell has done a fantastic job of raising awareness of the plight of refugees and has mobilised her school mates and teachers to help out too. Heather came across Care4Calais on Instagram and was amazed by the stories about refugees that she read on there. She couldn’t believe what was happening to such people and how little support was being provided. She told us: “I saw children and young people who were every bit as driven, passionate and smart as me and my friends, sitting in refugee camps, deprived of …
A magical tour of London Christmas lights
Last week, three volunteers from East London, Lara, Katie and Michaela, took some of the London based asylum seekers for a walkabout to see the Christmas lights. They were so enchanted they walked from Oxford Street to Covent Garden, passing through Regent Street, Carnaby Street, Piccadilly Circus, and Leicester Square on the way. It took them four hours! In Covent Garden, they introduced the guys to Christmas mulled wine and chocolate cake, and watched a street performer throwing knives and fire. Katie even got involved, throwing sticks of fire to the performer, much to the others’ excitement. It was such …
If the coat fits…
Last time I was on a coat distribution, there was an amazingly warm khaki winter coat with a furry lining. It was so warm I really wanted someone to get the benefit of it but I think some people were wary of carrying it around so no one took it. Our distribution ended and we only had five extra large coats left. I was standing by the back of the van when a man came up to me and asked if we had anything left. He had only just arrived. I got into the van and looked around. There really …
Boxing and football classes build resilience for refugees
We just got back from another amazing boxing class for refugees in Wimbledon. As always, our friend Nabil was there – he’s a regular. During class he always tells us how happy boxing makes him and how much it helps him improve his English. Another regular, Ahmed, used to be extremely quiet and reserved; he would come alone to our distributions and left swiftly. But the boxing classes have really brought him out of his shell. The difference in his confidence is unbelievable. Not only have these weekly boxing classes been a blessing for people’s mental and physical health, but …
