A LAUNCESTON charity worker has been left ‘staggered’ by the rise in numbers of refugees across Europe, after a recent trip out there.

Rob Butler, from Launceston, has just returned home from his most recent trip abroad, where he and the teams from Open Hearts Open Borders and Mobile Refugee Support distributed aid to refugees living in poor conditions across Europe.

“I was quite staggered by the rise in numbers, especially in Dunkirk, and I was horrified at the thought of all of those men, women and children facing another harsh winter out in the open,” Rob reported to the Post. He said that in Paris there are around 1,000, while across the rest of Europe there is a large number of displaced people, including unaccompanied children.

He continued: “The main three reasons (for their displacement) we hear are war, religious persecution and poverty. Unfortunately when the camp in Calais was destroyed in October 2016, a large number of people thought that the problem had been solved — it hadn’t. People were just spread throughout Europe.

“Then with the problems at home and Brexit, other issues across the world, it wasn’t in the media anymore and was almost forgotten by everyone except the small NGOs operating on the ground and small charities based in Cornwall and across the UK sending humanitarian aid across.

“There truly is only a small percentage that want to come to the UK, and the main two reasons are family ties or an ability to speak English, which will help them to try and rebuild their lives.”

Rob, and the charities he works with, fear for the lives of refugees over the winter months as ‘people become more desperate’, continuing: “They recovered the body of someone who tried to swim to a ferry leaving for the UK last week — another innocent victim to add to the list. The generosity of the South West shines through in these difficult times, especially here in Cornwall and, closer to home, North Cornwall.”

Rob returned home on Tuesday, October 2 and has already received a donation of £100 from local retired vicar, Ken Wakefield, as well as £230 from the North Cornwall Book Festival. This money will be put towards the next trip, which will take place in six to eight weeks’ time. Rob has been in touch with a young lady called Harriet, who has collected essentials for babies — food, nappies, wet wipes and more — for Rob to take to Greece.

The Post previously reported that Rob and other volunteers from North Cornwall went to the site of the Boardmasters festival in Newquay, clearing tents and sleeping bags to be washed and distributed to refugees. He has since reported that sleeping bags are still being washed by local people, with other donations dropped to his house also.

Rob added: “There’s a real willingness to help others. I had a request from a homeless charity in Plymouth as well, so via Open Hearts Open Borders we have sent them 25 sleeping bags, toiletries, jackets, hats, gloves, scarves and jumpers.

“It’s sad to think that here at home and in Europe so many people don’t have a roof over their head or somewhere safe to sleep.”