We are fundraising to help those effected by the refugee crisis.

It has been a year, almost to the day, since our last trip to Serbia where as many as ten thousand people were forced to walk in the night to an open field and queue to cross the Croatian border in sub-zero temperatures.

Since then so much has changed. The EU Turkey deal and the closure of the Balkan route has led to a more static but nonetheless bleak situation. We are no longer seeing thousands of people making their journeys across Europe, people are now simply stuck for months on end living in camps (many of which are unliveable) or worse, sleeping rough in the freezing winter in forests or on the streets. Desperate to get refugees off their soil, Balkan countries' authorities deport them at random without due process or regard for where they have come from and their prospects of gaining asylum in Europe. So often refugees find themselves taking one step forwards and two steps back.

We hope to raise enough money to make a real difference to people's lives both practically and emotionally. We are working with several grassroots organisations in eastern Europe and Greece to help funding with food, clothes, sanitation and education.

Help is still desperately needed. Refugees face uncertain futures in hideous conditions. We want to help those whose only choice was to leave their country behind, for whom staying would have meant grave danger for themselves and their loved ones. These people deserve hope, freedom and a future free from persecution.