'When you walk with people who have pushed through the barriers of utter loneliness in prison cells, hope is regenerated.' Photo: Image courtesy of Refugee Tales
Refugee tales: Anne M Jones steps out
‘Finding a way through moments of despair is crucially important.’
The timing of this year’s ‘Refugee Tales’ walk could not have been better, coming shortly before the passing of the cruel Illegal Migration Act. To walk over our wonderful countryside, alongside fellow supporters and former detainees, hearing tales of how they survived detention, was restorative and uplifting.
The annual walk, organised by Gatwick Detainees Welfare Group, consists of five days hiking. This year we went from Crawley to Worthing, but the format is always the same: a day’s hard walking followed by an evening of music, fun and storytelling. I joined for the three days between Burgess HiIl and Worthing.
I met old friends and exchanged news, and heard fresh stories from refugees. It’s hard to imagine how a person’s spirits survive under such duress, but this is where the invaluable support of the volunteers comes in – their consistent, caring visits, buoying up detainees. Paradoxically, hearing the sad-happy stories renewed my hope.
The walk coincided with the news that the government had ordered the removal of cartoons in a centre for child asylum seekers, on the grounds that they conveyed too warm a welcome. In terms of mean-spiritedness, this past year has seen bad news heaped upon bad news. It matters more than ever to seek out places where hope thrives.
I am a regular visitor to Calais, where I divide my time between sewing essential clothing, and sitting in the day centre, offering support in various ways, including basic English. Talking with all the young men there, it is clear that they all are determined to reach the UK, and continue to hold it in high regard as a country where they feel confident of being treated with respect. They had no other option but to flee their county, and quickly discovered the underground methods around Dunkirk, where tickets for the boats can be purchased, using money that might have been family savings, or collected from a village back home. This business is thriving, but to criminalise the people using it is to target the wrong people. Across Europe there is a move against migration; borders are being rendered insurmountable. The toll upon refugees can become intolerable. Waiting and hoping can be too much for some, and in the day centre mental health crises are very evident.
Volunteers feel this despair. Being alongside refugees is not easy work. Finding a way through moments of despair is crucially important.
When you walk with people who have pushed through the barriers of utter loneliness in prison cells, hope is regenerated. Crossing the glorious South Downs is as beautiful as it was when I walked beside my father seventy-two years ago, marvelling at the variety of wildflowers – blue, orange, purple – and watching skylarks rise then swoop, all the while calling melodiously across the skies. All my senses are engaged at once, and with that comes a reverence for God’s creations. It tells me that this continues to be a wonderful world, and caring about the people in it matters so very much.
