Star date: 13th September 2015

HUGE RESPONSE FOR SALFORD TO CALAIS APPEAL

Just over a week after the formation of Salford To Calais, containers with donations for refugees are overflowing, with people volunteering help to launch a large convoy of vehicles taking supplies to France on 17th October.

"I've got a three and a half year old little boy and the thought of literally fleeing our home, with just the clothes on our back...because we fear for our lives, and then making those horrendous journeys; it's the stuff that nightmares are made of" says one of the founders.

Full details here...

Salford To Calais only started a week last Friday, after the photo of the little boy washed up on a beach became world news, but the response from Salford and beyond has been overwhelming.

At Easy Access Self Storage near the Trafford Centre, where three units have been donated, bin bags full of donations are so tightly packed it that they can barely get the shutters down. And it's the same story at the organisation's other unit in Bredbury.

"The containers have filled up twice and the support in terms of people power has been amazing" says Shareen Denman, one of Salford To Calais founders "People have kept sharing the story, the Facebook page and the Just Giving page, and people have been saying they'll drive vehicles or approach schools for donations and things. We had a girl come forward last night saying she'd help set up a fundraising night and St Patrick's High School made a massive donation yesterday. Everyone's been really helpful."

On 17th October over nine vehicles will set off for Calais in a well planned convoy, organised with SWAN (Social Work Action Network), Stand Up To Racism, CalAid and People To People Solidarity. While David Cameron has said that the UK will take 20,000 Syrians refugees from camps in the Middle East, at Calais conditions are worsening...

"I think we have a responsibility to help these people" explains co-founder Wendy Hough "I know we have to acknowledge the difference between economic migrants and refugees. The people we're dealing with are refugees, they're fleeing from war torn countries, areas where their lives are in danger if they stay.

"We have partial responsibility for our interventions in those areas which has contributed to their destabilisation, resulting in a significant contribution to the migrant crisis" she adds "62% of people at Calais are refugees. Yes we have to nod to the fact that there are some economic migrants there but does that mean we should completely ignore the refugees who are there in crisis? The fact is that they are living in horrendous conditions and I think we need to address it. The governments are talking about it, few of them are taking action, so why shouldn't we do something in the meantime?"

Stephanie Carrie, co-founder, agrees: "I've got a three and a half year old little boy and the thought of literally fleeing our home, with just the clothes on our back and having to leave stable jobs because we fear for our lives, and then making those horrendous journeys; it's the stuff that nightmares are made of...

"This is just the tip of the iceberg what we're doing" she adds "It's not going to help in the long term but it should help ease the winter conditions.  We all need to acknowledge that they're human beings at the end of the day, be they a migrant or a refugee. The aim is to help refugees but everyone at that camp is living in squalor."

The team are at pains to point out too that they are not ignoring those who need help on our own doorstep as all have been involved in Manchester and Salford campaigns...

"Last year, Shareen and I were involved in another movement that arose through Facebook, taking supplies to the homeless in Manchester" explains Stephanie, who is handling the South Manchester section of Salford To Calais "Just because we're doing this we're not ignoring the homeless or anyone who needs help locally."

The Salford To Calais team still needs tents, groundsheets, warm clothes and basic medical supplies donating. These can be dropped off at the Easy Access Self Storage depot Barton Dock Road, Trafford Park M41 7JX (opposite the Trafford centre and next to ASDA) between 9am and 5pm – or at the Bredbury depot, Oldmoor Road, Stockport SK6 2QE (Just Off Junction 25, M60).

For details of making donations outside of these hours, or for any other volunteer offers contact the Salford To Calais team via the Facebook page Salford To Calais

The team has also got a Just Giving page for monetary donations so that fresh food can be bought when the convoy arrives in Calais – click here for details