This is a text-only version of an article first published on Tuesday, 2 June 2020. Information shown on this page may no longer be current.
A NEW charity launched by a Wokingham church music director is providing much-needed footwear for refugees in Calais and Dunkirk. Boots Without Borders, launched by Richard Smith, has already given out 380 pairs of boots to refugees who were living in the camp with inadequate and worn out shoes. A YouTube video shows Richard and his team of volunteers handing out the boots to refugees.
The volunteers first walked around the camps, identifying people who needed new shoes.
Many refugees wear flip flops, or undersized trainers with the heels rolled down and are unsuitable for the outdoor conditions they are living in. Richard, who is the music director at All Saints' Wokingham, said: "The issue of footwear is a huge one - boots and shoes wear out quickly on the rough terrain of the camps, and a lot of the stuff that's donated is either the wrong type/size or nearing the end of its life. The demand is immense, and in our opinion the refugee crisis will not be solved quickly. "Around 40 people flocked to the inaugural Boots Without Borders meeting in Wokingham on 5 March.
"It was fantastic.
There was great discussion that really helped shape our way forward, and it was great to be able to report back on the huge success of the project to the people who have helped so far.
A refugee ties the laces of their new boots in a screenshot from the latest Boots Without Borders YouTube vide0.
It was particularly nice to have so many church people there, as well as the Mayor of Wokingham Borough Cllr Parvinder Batth, and the Mayor of Wokingham Town Cllr Philip Mirfin, all of whom were very encouraging. "