09/05/2026
As I watch the May 7th election results coverage, it is challenging to see the politics of division in manifestation.
As an antidote, I want to tell you about some people I met in Calais. These 5 memories have stuck in my mind as they humanize these individuals.
To Glasgow- Attending a site, we spoke to an Eritrean man who had just returned from a failed crossing. He had been at sea for 13 hours in a dinghy. He enquired where we were from. Smiling, he said “I will see you in Glasgow.” It transpired his mum and brother lived in Glasgow, my home city.
A prayer- Over three visits to our biggest site, I witnessed a man quietly retreat to a tree nearby. He would retrieve the same piece of cardboard out of the tree, using it as a prayer mat. Like many in times of distress, prayer can sustain us, offering solace and comfort.
The bracelet- I dressed a wound for a young Sudanese teenager, sustained after falling from a lorry. I noticed he had a bracelet with a heart charm, inscribed with ‘MUM’. He told me his mum had a similar bracelet, her half of the heart inscribed with ‘SON’.
Glasses- A man had lost his glasses and was complaining of headaches. We managed to source him some glasses. In hindsight, we likely didn’t have the correct prescription and he squinted trying them on! Yet, the man graciously accepted, saying the glasses were perfect.
Memorial- Following further fatalities in the Channel, we attended a memorial in Calais town centre. A large scroll was rolled out which has documented those who have died attempting to cross the Channel, since 1999. New names and their ages are added with every fatality.
Most were teenage or young men.
Some were babies.
Multiple are unidentified and symbolised with an ‘X’.
- From a recent volunteer
