HUNDREDS of people from across south Essex are rallying round to supply aid to refugees travelling across Europe to try to find sanctuary.

Huge collections have been organised across the area to help refugees from the Syria conflict now stranded in Calais and other areas.

Yesterday, Prime Minister David Cameron announced the UK would take in 20,000 refugees over the next four years as the crisis worsens.

Emma Gibbs De Oliveira, 38, joined forces with two friends to launch the Southend CalAid Collection for people in Calais and has been overwhelmed with the support she’s received.

She said: “It started through social media. We got tired of all the bad news and wanted to do something to help. We are doing collections in conjunction with CalAid in East London. We will have drop off operations at the Brazilarte Academy in Kensington Road, Southend, on September 18 and 25th from 5pm to 8pm.

“There are regular updates on our Facebook page. If people want to donate they can get up to date details there. It changes quite a bit. We started asking for sanitary items like toothpaste and toothbrushes and now the weather is getting colder we’re asking for gloves and hats.”

She added: “The response so far has been unbelievable. We have about 25 volunteers signed up to help with transport and storage and a church in Wickford is helping us with storage if there is an overspill.

“I find it hard to deal with this sort of stuff, but for me it’s about doing something.

“We can’t do much about the wars but we can help make people more comfortable.”

When the collections have been made Ms Gibbs De Oliveira and friends Nina Tame, and Nikki Nicholas, who are all from Southend, will transport the donations to the London CalAid who will take them to Calais in October.

To get up to date information about the collections, visit the Southend CalAid Collection Facebook page.

Speaking in Parliament yesterday, Mr Cameron told MPs: “We are proposing that Britain should resettle up to 20,000 Syrian refugees over the rest of this Parliament.

“In doing so, we will continue to show the world that this country is a country of extraordinary compassion, always standing up for our values and helping those in need.”

 

WEBSITE IS HELPING CHILDREN CAUGHT IN EXODUS

ANOTHER group from Thorpe Bay is doing what it can to support the children caught up in the mass exodus from Syria.

Elle Beadle, 34, from Thorpe Bay, set up the Humanity Washed Ashore website after seeing harrowing pictures of three-year-old Syrian Aylan Kurdi’s lifeless body washed ashore in Turkey.

She said: “I have young children myself, so I wanted to do something just for the children.

There is so much going to Calais and there are few children there.

I started up a Facebook page thinking I could collect from friends and family and it just went crazy.

“I got in touch with a friend from a logistics company and they laid on a container.

“Estuary Logistics is paying to ship a containers to the Migrant Offshore Aid Station in Malta which is sending boats out to rescue families. Now their clients are sponsoring more shipments and lorries to go to Europe.

“We are doing collections at 22 drop-off locations, collecting just children’s items, including toys and colouring books.

“When the aid station picks up children they are very distressed, so its part of their rehabilitation to immediately give them something to keep.

“It’s been fantastic the way people have responded.”

To help, visit the group’s Facebook page and website humanitywashedashore.co.uk