They’re human too, having to exist in a ‘no man’s land’
ATEACHER from Runcorn who spent part of her winter break at a refugee camp in northern France has spoken of her horror at the living conditions.
Rachel Quinn, who teaches drama in Chorlton, Manchester, travelled with her mum Sue Walkey to the camp in Dunkirk to deliver supplies to men, women and children including babies during a cold snap which saw temperatures drop to -3°C.
Rachel, who recorded details of her trip in a blog, said her experience led her to believe ‘we should be ashamed of ourselves’ over a UK decision to refuse entry to children whose parents live in Great Britain or Northern Ireland.
Chorlton High School raised £2,000 for her to take a van of supplies across the Channel to help the refugees.
Among the heartbreaking things she saw was a father with two young babies living with food stored next to mould, with wet bedding and icicles dangling from the ceiling. She was also shocked to see groups of up to nine people cooped up in huts together with no heating of insulation.
Rachel also cast doubt on reports focusing on men in the camps, writing in one her blogs: ‘All I see are children’.
During the trip, Rachel and Sue worked with charities including Help Refugees to repair damp ● and damaged huts, adding damp-proofing.
She is now keen to continue raising awareness about the realities of the camps and to raise funds.
She said: “When people talk about refugees they always talk about the socalled ‘jungle’ in Calais.
“I know a lot of people thought now it has been dismantled that’s it, all of those people had been sorted.
“But it’s not the case at all. I was expecting see hundreds of refugees in Dunkirk but in reality it’s thousands and getting bigger everyday.
“There’s also a misconception about the camps being made up of big groups of men when really there are a lot of women in children there too – even pregnant women.”
She added: “It was really shocking to see people and especially children living in those conditions.
“On the nights my mum and I were there temperatures dropped to -3C.
“There is no insulation or warmth in those huts.
“That’s what really brings it home. But we also met some really amazing people too who are often fleeing war-torn countries.
“It’s easy to forget that they are human too yet they are having to exist in this ‘No Man’s Land.’
“The British Government turned away 250 child refugees and that it is truly shocking. It’s like a dirty secret that people don’t want to acknowledge.”
Find out more or donate at helprefugees.org