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A year 6 pupil has enlisted his classmates to help an islander with her mission to deliver goods and aid to refugees in Calais over the festive period.
Joe Fry, her son Joseph, and Alcindo Pinto spent more than two weeks over last Christmas and New Year on the French coast and in Paris.
While there, she shared a series of eye-opening and moving dispatches from the ground with Express – spanning makeshift barbershops, a refugee child who gave back her beloved Christmas gift, and bonding with a young man over football and funny TikToks.
Despite the support provided by volunteers like Joe, sadly, one year on, the situation remains difficult.
Pictured: “There were people turning up to take them for showers, the Red Cross were there to heal their cuts, but no one was there to help heal their souls,” Joe explained of her last trip.
“The refugee crisis isn’t in the mainstream media anymore but it’s not gone away,” said Joe.
“The police are slashing tents almost daily, and two refugees were killed last week in Calais - one by a train and one in the sea. On the border of Poland, there is a standoff between refugees and the Polish army. Men, women and children are dying daily, and Afghanistan refugees are also swelling the numbers - those that managed to run before the Taliban took over.”
She is therefore planning to visit once again to deliver Christmas support and cheer, and has been asking islanders to donate goods in support.
Her youngest backer is year 6 St. Mary Pupil Ollie Vale, who wrote to his classmates to ask for their support for the collection. He became inspired to help after learning about children’s rights, which led him to learn about child refugees from Afghanistan.
Despite the generosity received so far, however, Joe explained that the trip remains “in some doubt” as donations are also needed to cover the logistics.
CLICK TO ENLARGE: A letter from the youngest sponsor.
“We haven’t raised anywhere near enough to get the truck over,” Joe explained.
She has therefore set up a fundraising page in the hope of securing the necessary funding, and next week a jumble and cake sale is being held at 11:00 at Curves on Sunday 28 November to raise money to help cover fuel and travel costs, as well as providing additional funding for the refugee organisations there.
And it’s not too late for anyone else wishing to donate items for refugees.
From 13:30 this Saturday (27 November), islanders will be able to drop off donations at Curves on Oxford Road in St. Helier.
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