Two Nantwich women have launched groups to collect donations across Cheshire for refugees in France and Europe.
Dionne Lennon and Shelley Keeble have been so moved by images of refugees fleeing terror and war from Syria, they have started groups to collect donations.
Dionne’s group is called Cheshire Refugee Drive. The mother-of-two, from Bunbury, has support from a van company who will transport donated goods across the Channel.
The group has a crowd-funding site to raise more money for the cause, and collection points have been set up in Nantwich and Bunbury, as well as further afield in Chester and the Wirral.
Mother-of-three Shelley Keeble, from Nantwich, was also prompted to act and has set up the Nantwich Refugee Crisis Group.
The estate agent and friends are collecting donated items of vital supplies that can be sent to Calais.
Many have already been in touch to offer support such as transporting items to the ferry port.
A meeting room at Regents Park, off London Road, is being used as a drop-off point for donations between 10am and 2pm.
Dionne said: “We have a fantastic community who are very supportive.
“Quality office supplies have offered their complete fleet of vans to deliver the donated goods.
“I can also collect from anybody. I am trying to arrange with the church to be a collection /drop off point to make thing easier for people.”
Shelley added: “We have a great community here in Nantwich and the whole point of the group is for people to share information about the current refugee crisis and ideas so that we can help.
“We want to show people there’s local support and that we want to make a difference.”
The Cheshire Refugee Drive is linked to other charities, including Cal Aid, La Via Active, and Secours Catholique.
People can also drop off donations at 5 Church Row, Bunbury, or call Dionne on 0781644137.
The Cheshire Refugee Drive’s crowdfunding site is crowdfunding.justgiving.com/dionne-lennon
Money raised will be used to buy sanitary items, fabric for blankets and plastic sheeting.
The plight of the refugees is absolutely heartbreaking, and nobody should have to put their families through that. Having said that, take as a tiny example the stories in NN; which ones generate most comments? Housing and development. And what is the overwhelming view of the commentators? NIMBY; because of stretched resources and overcrowding. Over a decade, we’ve taken in enough people to populate London, there are 20K Syrians en-route, and millions are massed on the outskirts of Europe, demanding asylum, even from countries where the sole driving force is an economic one. The Shengen agreement means that refuge in any European country opens the door to the UK, and it’s obvious there is something that pulls people here. We (even as the whole of Europe) cannot possibly accommodate all the world’s refugees, economic migrants and illegal immigrants, and it does seem to me that the “refugees welcome” movement can ultimately only cause problems that we will all find impossible to manage. Financial and logistical problems, for sure, but also growing social unrest. Kindly though these acts are, they are just produce more of a pull, when we should be tackling the root causes. Where is the UN on this, and where is the global pressure to stop this appalling genocide through civil war? What are the Middle Eastern countries doing about the unspeakable treatment of their close cousins, and how many are they willing to re-house, providing generations of support for them and their dependents? There seems to be a growing movement to try and solve this problem only by distributing the persecuted, displaced and dissatisfied throughout Europe, almost inevitably providing housing, education, healthcare and an income from local and national taxes and contingency funds. You can pretty much guarantee this won’t be an effective solution. The answer to this problem has to be at root cause level if we are not to entirely destabilise Europe, as seems to be the wish of Merkel, Junkers and the rest, and sending aid to Calais seems to me entirely the wrong thing to do. The people in Calais have crossed many safe countries and travelled thousands of miles to reach what is merely a staging post for the UK’s generosity (or worse, as an easy import-route for terrorism and crime.) I’m sorry if this seems heartless, but we are facing some very real and serious threats to our whole future and way of life, and the responsibility for sorting out a global problem cannot possibly rest with generous and well-meaning citizens. I don’t know how to solve this tragedy, but very soon, the squeals over a few houses in Stapely or Wistaston will seem tame indeed.
Why do you say that the majority of refugees are trying to get to the UK? They aren’t. Look at the numbers – whether it be asylum applications or numbers of immigrants – the vast majority are trying to get to countries like Germany or Sweden.
Yes there are a number of people in Calais, but it is a tiny number compared to the total number of asylum seekers applying in other countries. This problem is being blown out of all proportion by certain sections of the UK media. A little perspective is required.
You’ll have to point out where I said the majority of refugees are heading for the UK, because I’m pretty sure I didn’t. I said Shengen means that refuge in any EU country opens the door to the UK (a fact of EU law) and that Calais is a staging post for the UK (where else are they heading?). I tried very hard to present a reasoned, unemotive argument, and I cannot understand your plea for “perspective” whilst we are suffering so many adverse effects of a decade of uncontrolled immigration. I’m not even advocating zero immigration, just a sensible approach, but if your appeal for perspective includes the social pressures, financial burden, cultural changes, crime and extremism we see so often today, then we can agree to disagree. For me, though, encouraging more of this simply makes no sense with untold millions behind those already on the move. There has to be a better solution than massed entry, and their home countries, their neighbours and the world’s policemen can’t just walk away from the problem, as presently.