In January, a group of us mums from Clapham Park Montessori will drive down to Calais to deliver donations of warm clothes, winter shoes, amenities and food. We’ll also be volunteering on the ground for the Refugee Community Kitchen. http://www.refugeecommunitykitchen.com/

Refugee Community Kitchen serves 1500 hot nourishing meals a day to refugees living rough in Northern France. It also provides a moment in the day where people can gather and connect and have access to a safe space for medical and legal services, safeguarding groups and other support.

It is estimated that around 2000 refugees are surviving in northern France (principally Calais and Dunkirk , figures: https://helprefugees.org/calais/), including many women, young children and newborns, and around 200 unaccompanied minors. Through the bitterly cold winter they are at a particularly high risk of illness as they suffer the freezing, wet weather with no respite. It is hard for us imagine how it must feel to be a mother trying to care for her children in the face of such treacherous conditions.

Please give what you can, dig deep! If you have any questions about what it’s like to volunteer, or other ways you can help, please get in touch.