Calais Light, Clacton-on-Sea (2026)

21/01/2026

Put a comment below or send us a DM if you’re coming to Calais Light's big goodbye get together! 🎉 (The venue wants an estimate of numbers!) We're having a final celebration at The Parcel Yard pub (inside London's King's Cross railway station) on 20th February 2026. See you there from 5.30pm for a farewell drink 💛

31/12/2025

After 9 extraordinary years Calais Light has closed.

Most will know I’m Catholic & try to “live my faith.” I’m also Black & have experienced racism around the world, not just in the UK & that’s why I started Calais Light - to change UK attitudes towards refugees, asking people to meet them in the easiest way possible - to serve them.

Doing all we can, with the least amount of fuss, is the meaning of Calais Light - because people are being harmed & dying on our watch.

I wanted people to “get” what it is to be a refugee, prioritising their needs over their own for a weekend & returning home to help refugees integrate into our society.

It worked! CL now promotes social integration in so many ways.I set out with a promise: to show up with empathy for displaced & rejected people.

Since then we’ve met 1000s of people with warmth, food, clothes, support, friendship & humanity. Once we started, it changed us forever.

Our legacy lives on through our Calais Lighters. I am humbled by how many deeply grasp our mission, & are continuing this important work, solo or in groups, with partner charities in the UK & N France.

The relationships we built, the brands we asked for huge amounts of product & the compassion we modelled will continue to help refugees long after our “virtual” doors close.

These achievements were never mine alone - they belong to every volunteer who spent their weekends in the rain, every donor, every trusted partner who walked beside us, every befriending & English teaching volunteer & most of all, to every refugee who taught us resilience & hope.

Our charity has always had a ‘vibe’ as well as impact. We will greatly miss the CL family. It has been an honour to volunteer alongside you, & I hope you will all join our farewell drinks on Friday 20th Feb in London. And stay friends. ❤️😃

The Board & I are looking forward to a relaxing retirement. We'd like to take this final opportunity to thank you for believing in us, for trusting us to do things our way & for standing with people when it matters.

Carry it forward ✨
With love & gratitude,
Mary & the Board

30/12/2025

“I joined Calais Light because just ‘caring’ about the plight of refugees did not feel like enough. Calais Light is an efficient, highly impactful organisation, which graciously serves its volunteers as an embodiment of the spirit which we all feel, yet aren’t able to channel or communicate in our daily lives.

“This shared Calais Light spirit is the reason why volunteers feel an immediate kinship to each other, the partner NGOs and refugees we work with. It allows us to bond with people in a safe way that gives us a sense of humanity that otherwise feels lacking in current British society.
Respect, patience, kindness, resilience and humour are all traits I’ve had the joys of experiencing from refugees.

“My contribution to CL has taught me to behave responsibly to our society by speaking out against racist, xenophobic behaviour and it’s solidified my ambitions to be a life-long contributor of positivity, solidarity and love to those born outside of our borders.

“Thank you Mary for your leadership and strength - the world has become a better place because of your dedication and determination.”

Kirsty MacLeod

29/12/2025

“You created the most amazing humanitarian charity. No paid workers, no waste, every penny donated straight to those who needed it. What an achievement. A legacy of a lifetime. Thank you Mary for being the force of nature that drove this endeavour. Heartbreaking it’s closing but totally understandable and we will all, I am sure, continue to support & advocate for all displaced people.”

Pip Mayland (Our former Data Manager & regular Calais Lighter)

28/12/2025

“I work in a school and have been supporting two Asylum Seeker students. I was so moved by their stories of their journey to the UK that I felt I wanted to do something to help. A Google search led me to Calais Light ! In a brave moment – I signed up to be part of the September 2025 convoy – not knowing it would be the last one for Calais Light.

“I was extremely nervous but immediately felt welcomed into the Calais Light family – and learnt a lot from more experienced volunteers.

“It was certainly a life changing experience for me. To see the reality of life for refugees and hear their stories was very humbling. Their ability to find joy and laughter in the most miserable of circumstances, and their kindness to me as a volunteer- is something I will never forget.

“Just as important to me, has been sharing my experiences with friends, family and Church, hopefully changing peoples’ perceptions of ‘the Boat People’. I definitely plan to visit Calais again and do what I can to be a voice for refugees. Thank you Calais Light for starting me off on this journey.”

Suzanne Williams

27/12/2025

“Thanks to everyone behind CL. It really opened my eyes to what refugees really face both from the county they came from, along their journey to their arrival in France. These are brave and amazing people that we have the honour to meet for a weekend who open our protected world to something fraught with danger. Being given the privilege of helping will always be a unique experience for me and I’m grateful for CL for providing that. The care of CL is special. They ensure our safety but also check on our mental and spiritual health too. For a very small charity that is special and I am grateful. Got of luck in your next chapter. Love and prayers.”

Fiona McCormack

26/12/2025

“A small appreciation of my gratitude to Calais light Over the course of two years, I was able to go on 4 Calais Light convoys, working with organisations such as Calais Food Collective, Roots, MRS and Care4Calais.I feel incredibly lucky to have had the opportunity to work with a variety of organisations, meeting such incredible people along the way, and learning so much in such a short space of time from refugees, long term volunteers and team leaders.

“To the volunteers that made Calais Light possible, thank you so much, your hard work has opened the eyes of so many people, and spread Calais Light’s messages across the UK and wider.

“No two convoys were the same, and each time I looked forward to meeting new people and seeing familiar faces. The sense of community built is like nothing I’ve experienced before, and I’m very grateful for the friendships built.

“Calais Light will be truly missed, but its legacy will live on and has inspired us all to continue supporting refugees and asylum seekers, far beyond a short weekend. I plan to return to Calais as a long term volunteer, and to continue advocating for refugees in the UK.”

Hannah Murphy

25/12/2025

“Calais Light became a central part of my life. I volunteered regularly and was later given the role of a manager. Like everyone I imagine the first trip to Calais will stay with you forever. What I remember from that first trip was how 98.67% of the refugees were friendly, most polite and terribly grateful of our work. All this when they have all kinds of problems, difficult journeys and no doubt trauma. I had no expectations of what refugees would be like but meeting them simply reinforced the fact that our lives are postcode lotteries. But for the grace of God and all that.

“Despite the right wing media’s portrayal of them as second-class citizens I know they are human beings who deserve our compassion and support. Going on these trips to Calais has reaffirmed my view of humanity, some people, fellow travellers included, care very deeply about these people. I will always stand up for refugees because of my first-hand experience of being with them. I think more politicians should see the situation for themselves. This could ensure a kinder, more considerate and understanding attitude in future.

“When I retire in a couple of years I will travel to Calais for a few weeks and do anything that is asked of me. God bless Calais Light and all who sailed with them. Finally a special message to the remarkable, indefatigable legend that is Mary. I am so grateful to you for opening up this world to me. I love you dearly.”

Terence Bly

24/12/2025

“Thank you Calais Light for taking all the stress away when going over to help Care4Calais and replacing it with support, cameraderie.. in fact every need is met, every detail thought of and organised! You have been such a treasure in these last years to all of us seeking to reach out to refugees but not sure how to manage it all. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for everything, may you have a well deserved retirement and rest.. and I only hope you will be replaced before too long!!”

Jayne Morris

24/12/2025

Here’s Calais Light’s final Christmas 🎅🏽 Party for our refugee friends whom we support in Clacton. It’s been a fun & heartwarming 3 years being their friends. And it will continue as our Social Integration Team & our English Team merge in January with our partner charity RAMA - because they all want to keep going with teaching English to the same people.
Our party was so fun, hot Halal chicken & Peri Peri rice ordered by Calais Light from a local restaurant, salads, dates, humous, dips, pitta bread, warm vegan tarts, mince pies - everything. Music 🎶 & a tree.
And then a brilliant one hour MAGIC set by the fantastic Jamie Jibberish, trauma magician, whom we persuaded to drive all the way from his home in Oxford to Clacton to perform for us.
We wish absolutely everyone associated with Calais Light - & especially all our enthusiastic & hard-working Clacton Volunteers & Team Leaders, Lindsay & John, a wonderful Christmas & New Year.
Our 9 happy years are done ❤️😀

Love to all refugees. 🤗 Here & abroad!
May you find peace, acceptance, opportunities for growth & joy.

23/12/2025

“Thank you for everything you’ve done! I came on a convoy in 2022 and found the whole experience so inspiring. So grateful I was able to learn more about what is happening in Calais. My trip with you encouraged me to do my medical elective in Calais, so next year will hopefully be volunteering with FAST. Thanks again.”

Tae Ibrahim

22/12/2025

“Calais Light was my 1st ever volunteer gig with a charity supporting refugees and people in need- and was a truly amazing and impactful experience! It left me with a true thirst to do more and am happy to say I am now writing this from a new volunteer project with Refugee Support in Cyprus! I keep speaking about my trip with Calais Light, which taught me so much in such a short time!! I will be forever grateful for and cherish my trip with you and the team! Thank you!!”

David Shupak

Calais Light

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