Thank you for visiting this just giving page. We’re a group of ordinary citizens – teachers, shop workers, carers, lawyers, parents, sisters, nieces, husbands – who want to help another group of ordinary people who are forced to become refugees. These are not the ‘faceless hordes’ we hear about in the media, but people like Irgin and her daughter*, pictured below.

We’d love you to join us – and help show that Tunbridge Wells is a caring and welcoming community, and that the UK wants to live up to its moral responsibility to protect the vulnerable – as we have done in the past for people fleeing from Germany, Chile and Bosnia.

We’ve met and taken advice on the best and most practical way to help. It looks like cash is most effective since then charities can buy exactly what’s needed there and then.

We’d love you to consider giving at least the equivalent of an hour of your time to the campaign. If you’re a business in and about Tunbridge Wells, you can show Irgin and her daughter – and your customers – that you care by donating an hour’s profit for a busy day. The more you can give, the more the Red Cross can help.

If you’re waged, simply divide your salary by the number of hours you work. And if you’re unwaged or low paid then the UK minimum wage of £6.70 ph would help buy a blanket, or food for a day for a child. If you can do more then please consider any of the following opportunities to help:

- £18: will pay for buying and cooking simple nutritious food that will feed a family of four for a day

- £27: can provide warm clothes for a mother and child who arrived with only what they stand up in

- £53: ensures a volunteer doctor can be available with the medicines needed to treat sick children for day

- £113: provides a waterproof tent and heating for a week

- £210: would meet a family of three’s needs for week in a Syrian refugee camp

We’ve set a challenging target of £5,000** and we are all contributing. These people need your help and they need it soon. Whatever you give, please make sure you tick the gift aid box – it makes your donation worth 25% more.

It looks like the Red Cross is the ideal partner for us to send the money to. As a genuinely international relief agency it is best placed to help the refugees whether they are landing on the beaches in Greece, trapped in a camp in Turkey, walking on the road to Vienna, or trying to get on a train in Budapest. You can find out more about them here http://www.redcross.org.uk.

The crisis is still developing as you know. So we will be updating this page regularly. And if you want to keep abreast of what we’re doing visit our Facebook page for updates.

And if you can, please share this page by email with your friends. Promote it on your Facebook feed, or tweet the link using the hashtag #IGaveAnHour #TWcares #TW4refugees. 

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The Syrian refugees need as much support as we can raise money to provide. The fantastic efforts and dedication of groups like Tunbridge Wells Cares means we can make a real difference where it’s needed most. Thank you all for your help.
Mark Astarita, Director of Fundraising, British Red Cross.    

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*we’ve used an anonymous name and photo to protect Irgin’s identity – she represents a real refugee – and so many more like her. 
** our target was reached on 19 October thanks to the generosity of people from Tunbridge Wells and around. But we want to keep it going and contribute as much as we can!