A few days ago violence erupted in the Calais refugee camp known as the Jungle. This resulted in a fire which burnt down hundreds of shelters and left around 1,000 people homeless.
The violence occurred after tensions between different groups erupted. Most of those in the camp are fleeing civil war and tyranny in the Middle East and Africa. Their desperate situation and an overcrowded camp without proper facilities and services led to this tragedy. This illustrates just how unsafe and inhumane it is to treat human beings who are seeking shelter and safety in this way.
We must respond with kindness and compassion. We are taking an initial load of donated items to Calais. But we also need to replace the shelters which were destroyed and provide a basic level of accommodation for those affected.
We have built good working relationships with the agencies and volunteer groups on the ground in Calais and this money will be donated to those trusted groups who are helping to respond to this incident.
This is a one off emergency appeal, and we will continue to work long term to bring help, donations and hope to those who continue to arrive in Calais.