A FROME carpenter has left his comfortable life in Somerset to help refugees in Calais by running a woodyard supplying them with firewood.
26-year-old Ben Horne made the trip to France to provide wood for thousands of refugees in the Calais ‘jungle’. Following a short time volunteering in Calais in early April, Ben decided to return to take on the more significant role of managing the woodyard.
Ben explained, “After heading out the first time I realised the situation was worse and the need was greater than I could possibly have imagined. I’m lucky enough to have somewhere to live, food to eat, and a great network of family and friends to support me. It’s heartbreaking to see people without these basic things through no fault of their own. I just had to do something more to help.
“Firewood is essential to the refugees living in the jungle, as for many it is their only source of warmth and fuel for cooking food. Every day myself and other volunteers in the woodyard collect, process and distribute wood to over 4,000 people in need.”
The role, however, has not come without its challenges. Until recently no funding has been available to support the woodyard, to pay for essentials like fuel for the truck and maintenance of tools, so Ben has been using his own money to keep things going.
“This isn’t ideal, as soon I’ll run out!” he continued. “A crowdfunding page has now been set up to help raise money for the woodyard, with a view to keeping it running for the next six months. We have also struggled with a lack of volunteer support, partly due to the fact that volunteer numbers have dropped significantly across the board since national media coverage of the refugee crisis has fizzled out.
“Another problem is that many people are unaware of the importance of firewood in these situations.”
A call for more help has been sent out via social media and Ben is hoping it will encourage more people to support his venture. Many messages of encouragement have reached Ben from residents of Frome and the surrounding areas, all of which have helped Ben through the tougher days in the woodyard.
“I don’t know how long I will be doing this for. The problem isn’t going away,so I just want to help for as long as I can.”
In the meantime Ben’s job with Frome-based carpentry and building company, Chisel & Grain Ltd. is being kept open for his return. Director Stuart Dalton said, “We are very proud of what Ben is doing and want to support him to help those in need.”
If you can offer help in any way or would like to send messages of support, contact Ben at benhorne99@gmail.com
You can donate to the woodyard project in the Frome Wholefood shop or via the crowdfunding page online at mydonate.bt.com/fundraisers/calaiswoodyard