A FARNHAM mum of two has witnessed at first hand the impact Farnham’s donations are having on migrants sleeping rough in Calais this winter, having travelled to northern France over the festive period.

Penny Hardcastle, 45, has volunteered with the Farnham Help for Refugees group for a number of years, but inspired by the BBC’s recent Exodus series, wanted to witness the plight of refugees with her own eyes.

In the run-up to Christmas she spent four days volunteering with Calais-based charity Help Refugees, and was quickly put to work sorting through piles of donations, distributing food and even power to migrants.

On her travels she witnessed men and boys as young as 10 huddling around roadside fires, sleeping in the snow and hiding in woods following the demolition of the so-called ‘Jungle’ refugee camp.

But most shocking to Penny was the “brutality” of the French police, who she said beat the migrants in their sleep and destroy their makeshift camps wherever they find them.

“The situation in Calais is really bad,” the Spanish teacher told The Herald. “The worst thing is that the police beat them, confiscate their sleeping bags and spray them with gas. They’re quite brutal to them, they don’t want them there.

“They’re illegal immigrants, they have no right to be there. But the border control for the UK is in France and as part of that the police are acting like this. It’s inhumane.”

Penny explained that after the Jungle was bulldozed, what remains is several, mostly wooded areas on the outskirts of Calais where migrants from all over the world congregate, largely in their own ethnic groups.

There are no shelters and in Penny’s first two days in France she witnessed migrants suffering in freezing snow and torrential rain.

“The weather was brutal,” she said. “But even though they are exposed to the elements all the time, they don’t want tents or shelters because they are afraid it makes them more visible to the police. I would say definitely in Calais the police are trying to make their lives as unpleasant as possible hoping they will move on.”

Help Refugees also distributes food to migrants, as well as a mobile generator to charge up their phones. This presented Penny with her first real opportunity to speak with the migrants.

“Help Refugees provides an amazing service that gives them power, food and clothing, and with the help of another charity called Calais Refugee Community Kitchen they produce 2,000 meals a day - and really big portions too,” she said.

“I went out distributing food a couple of times, and the migrants just appear out of the woods when they hear you coming. It’s the highlight of their day and I was excited that they really linger around, chatting and charging up their phones.

“They are all real people, happy people really, and most are lovely and arrive with a smile for their food. But one man told us he had just walked 50km and was absolutely exhausted. Someone else said their feet hurt because they’d walked 30km.

“I spoke to one who had been there for eight months, another who had been there a year, but some that had just arrived. It’s a real mix.”

Penny didn’t come across any women or families during her trip, but she did meet many young men aged no older than 18 years old - and even a little boy aged just 10 who had fled the conflict in Afghanistan.

“That broke my heart because my son is only 11, and I cried when somebody told me there was a 10 year old there,” she said. “I didn’t speak to him but he seemed quite cheerful, and was hanging around with the older boys.”

In her brief conversations with the migrants, Penny also tried to understand why England held such appeal that people would be willing to journey thousands of miles in the hope of securing a passage across the English Channel.

“As soon as they realise you’re from England their eyes light up,” she continued. “I asked one person why they wanted to come to England from Eritrea and it’s essentially because they believe they can get social benefits quicker in the UK.

“I don’t think it’s right that they’re jumping on lorries. I think things should be done officially. But that’s not really my concern. These are just people. They’re not economic migrants just looking for a better life, they are running away from a really horrible lifestyle.

“I’m sure they’d love to be back home with their friends and families, so to me it’s just tragic. It doesn’t matter what their intentions are. They’re not baddies, they’re not thieving, they’re just trying to be safe.

“Because I was out there when the weather was so horrible, I just felt so sorry for them. I know it’s their choice to leave home, but I think a lot of them have left to avoid being killed, and this is slightly better than being at home.”

Penny was also shocked by the amount of donations Help Refugees receive that they can’t use.

“Most of the refugees tend to be Ethiopian, Eritrean and Afghan and certainly the Ethiopians and Eritreans tend to be skinny chaps.That’s their build, so anything that’s too big, they don’t want,” Penny said.

“Jeans for example; they really needed waist sizes 30s and 32s. Anything 38 and up they were rejecting, and they would then go into bags and once a month someone would take them back to the UK and sell them to Cash for Clothes for not much money.

“Some of it is really good quality but either it’s too big or not what they want.”

When distributing jogging bottoms, Penny was again surprised to find most migrants were young and fashion conscious, and didn’t want the ones that “look naff”.

“People are emptying out their wardrobes and thinking that will do, it will be a layer, it will be good enough if he’s got nothing else,” she added. “But they don’t see it like that. They don’t want holes or dirty clothes, they want ones that fit properly. I was amazed how fussy they were.

“People have really got to give what has been asked for. They can’t just think that will do, because it won’t. You’ve really got to ask ‘would I want to wear that?’.”

Penny added Help Refugees publishes a ‘needs list’ of desired items online at helprefugees.org/ and, likewise, Farnham Help for Refugees is requesting a set list of in-demand donations for its next collection including warm, winter and waterproof clothing and sleeping bags.

This will take place on Wednesday, January 24, from 2pm to 7pm at St Thomas-on-the Bourne church. A full list of desired items can be viewed on the ‘Farnham Help for Refugees’ Facebook page.