Dan Drew from Hitchin’s Hub Church visited the refugee camp in Calais known as ‘The Jungle’ on a fact finding visit earlier this month.
After meeting church elders Dan and fellow Hub Church members, promised to return with a carpet – for St Michael’s, the only place of worship in the camp which houses between 3,000 to 5,000 people – and which is growing daily.
Dan said: “We met with a church leader called Solomon. When we asked what he needed to help he immediately replied: ‘A carpet.’
“When we got home, a friend of mine, David Alvarez, of AZ Autos, in Whinbush Road, said he’d buy the carpet from Charles Wilson Carpets, who kindly offered an 8ftx12ft grey carpet at cost price.”
David said: “I just wanted to help. Whatever you think about other issues the fact is it’s a humanitarian crisis, people are suffering.”
Adam Wilson from the Hermitage Road carpet firm said: “We’ve all been moved by the suffering shown on our screens and wanted to give fellow human beings some dignity, through providing a carpet for their church.”
Dan and 10 Hub Church members will be returning to France on Sunday to donate tinned foods, cooking oil and sleeping bags to people in the camp, as well presenting the carpet to Solomon.
The Calais church which gained national recognition after controversially hosting BBC One’s Songs of Praise last month.
Dan added: “It was a tremendous gesture by AZ Autos and Charles Wilson.
(Article from the Comet on 17/09/2015)