Help us share laughter, wonder, and creativity with thousands of vulnerable children in Calais' camps through a new music-theatre show and artistic workshops.

France is the temporary home of many refugees fleeing wars in the Middle East, Asia and Africa. The infamous Calais Jungle, which at its height had 10,000 residents, was dismantled in 2016 and since then, migrants have repeatedly faced disruption, uncertainty and violence in the form of the French police. The situation out there is volatile.

Among those that have fled are many children, who are confronted daily with the angst, trauma and instability of having no place to call home and no guarantee of a safe future. These children carry the worries and anxieties of their parents, taking on overwhelming and adult concerns that no should have to bear.

No child should go through such distress at such a young age.

At the Wind-Up Penguin Theatre Company, we believe that every child should have access to the crucial elements of a healthy childhood: laughter, stories, games, and a safe space to play and be creative.

As a team of five of musicians and actors from the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, Royal College of Music and Durham University we are devising a new piece of music theatre to bring to refugee camps and settlements across Northern France between the 8th to 16th April.

Our work in France will take us to Calais, Dunkirk and Lille as well as the west of Belgium where tens of thousands refugees are currently living in makeshift shelter camps and temporary accommodation. Whilst there, we will be partnering with NGOs on site to help us bringing smiles, a dose of creativity and inspiration to those children that desperately need it.

Our company is run entirely by students and young graduates, volunteering to bring their skills to less fortunate children around the world and share the magic that an unforgettable theatre/musical experience can have on a young person's imagination.

How can I help?

We fund these projects entirely ourselves, which is why we're asking for help from YOU.

Any donation, even the smallest, will help enormously towards covering our costs during our project including accommodation, transport and food. This will help us make bringing music and theatre to many displaced children in France possible and help relieve their fear and anxiety with a once in a lifetime experience.

Thank you from Wind-Up Penguin, but most importantly from the children who need our help.

From Georgie, Mathilde, Lydia and Lauren x