THE support from Cornwall has been ‘incredible’ during the delivery of aid to refugees in France recently, according to a Launceston volunteer.

Rob Butler from Launceston has been distributing aid to refugees in Europe since 2015, and has said every trip since then has proved the generosity and support from those in Cornwall and the rest of the South West, having raised £600 to cover the cost of Mobile Refugee Support’s recent trip to France, as well as filling a van with humanitarian aid every three months on average.

Rob said: “The support I have received from Launceston and the surrounding areas continues to amaze me.”

Launceston Refugee Support Group donated £100 towards the costs, retired local vicar Ken Wakefield contributed another £100 and Bude Refugee Support Group, who have welcomed two refugee families to their town, continue to collect aid for the trips.

“The support from these guys is amazing,” Rob said. “Wadebridge Cornish Refugee Aid Project, Open Hearts Open Borders, One And All Aid are charities all based in Cornwall and also contributed aid and money towards this trip. By us all working together, we achieve so much.

“There are so many individuals in our area and surrounding areas who donate items to help some of the most vulnerable people around, and all of us at Mobile Refugee Support can’t thank them enough.”

But despite people’s best efforts, they still have work to do, according to Rob. “The situation in Europe shows no sign of improvement. The current situation in Syria and across the Middle East is still one of turmoil and war. People are still being displaced on a daily basis, and because of this people are still arriving in Europe looking for safety.

“There are people who have been in refugee camps on the borders of Turkey and Syria for two to three years, some even longer, living in tents with raw sewage running past their tents. As a result some of these have decided to take their families out of these camps and seek sanctuary in Europe.

“We have huge numbers sleeping rough or in tents in the woods with no access to clean water or toilet facilities. There is a myth in the UK that everyone is heading to the UK and this is so untrue.

“Yes, there are people attempting to come here but I would guess about 75% of these have a genuine reason behind this — family or an ability to speak English — and that makes such a difference when you are trying to resettle in a new country after losing everything.”

Rob also has concerns about how refugees are treated by some officials in Europe, claiming to have seen terrible treatment of a young refugee while he was in France.

“One only has to look at the treatment the some authorities have displayed towards the yellow vest protesters. Well, imagine being a refugee in France or someone from a poor country seeking a better future and that treatment is even worse, with no one to protect you.”

However Rob said: “In amongst this, they still share a smile with us. I was this Muhsin last week. Over the last 12 months we have become really close — a young Kurdish guy who can’t talk. In spite of this we manage to understand each other very well. I feel so sad for him, his mum was shot, sister killed, and there he is in France treated like an animal. How is that right in 2019?

“There are so many people with stories like this. It’s not unusual for me to get home to Cornwall and have a good cry for these people.”

Mobile Refugee Support will be going out to France in late May and early June for another week, but in the meantime there will be a variety of events in Launceston raising money and donations, as well as speaking to people about the situation in Europe and trying to ‘dispel some of the myths that have built up over the last few years towards refugees’.

Launceston Refugee Support Group aims to welcome a refugee family to the town. They have recently applied to the Home Office to carry out this aim.

For further information about the group and their progress, visit lrsg.org.uk or search Launceston RSG on Facebook.