Hi.

My name is Bernie Howley. I wish to support small and often unseen charities that work tirelessly in Calais to provide for refugees stuck there in very challenging living conditions.

I have chosen to donate to RefYouMe, a charity that I know well and that partners with ForRefugees. RefYouMe maintains up to the minute contact with several critical grassroots charities based in Calais. The needs of those organisations fluctuate daily. Donating in this way enables RefYouMe to put the funds I raise exactly where they are needed, and in a timely way.

I have chosen an odd way to fundraise. Let me explain. It's going to be tricky to be brief, so I apologise in advance.

Firstly, Refugee issues have long been on my mind and in my heart. Conditions in Calais are of particular concern to me, having seen them at close quarters over several years. In an ideal world I would like to see a system change and the problem solved. In the meantime I can only get behind the people providing help.

Secondly, I am a writer. I have written a three-book series about a young English boy, Aitch. He is a runaway. The second book has him inadvertently meeting up with two young Syrian lads fresh off a lorry from Calais, and a three-legged dog (as featured in the title of my book, A Three-legged Dog of Infinite Understanding). The story is not so much a refugee story, it is more about how the the three contingents come together - the runaway, the refugees and the stray, - and how in their respective worlds, devoid of the usual choices and opportunities, they come to understand each other. While Aitch is my main protagonist, R-two, the dog, actually steals the bookish show. He represents those characteristics that so many vulnerable and disadvantaged people display; kindness, resilience, generosity. It was not my intention to write the dog in as a metaphor, he just became one. He was given a part, originally, as a plot device. So much for planning my writing.

Given those two things, I decided to make a massive leap of faith and just throw my story out there as a fundraiser, without it being formally published. I can see all my writer friends rolling their eyes at my madness. It is probably not a sensible path to take.

My trusted readers who have critiqued and line-edited the story for me love the characters, love the story, love what it conveys. So, I am offering it up as a PDF here for anyone who wants to read it so that they might find out a little bit about the mad systems and obstacles that young refugees face. And, most importantly, to raise funds for organisations trying to help them.

I am told that it is possible to convert a PDF for Kindle, so that may be an option for some of you, should you choose to donate for a PDF version. You should bear in mind that it is written for a young teen readership, but it has been enjoyed by several much older persons. It also comes with a sensitivity warning for those who have lived refugee experience. Chapter seven is a tough read. I have also protected my work, my Intellectual Property. So don't anyone go trying to sell it to Dave Netflix or Karen Faber. That was a joke.

BUT...

...please do donate. I shall keep an eye on the fundraising page, but if you donate, let me know by email, so that I can send you the PDF by return of email. My email is berniehowley1256@gmail.com

NOTE: 100% of your donation will go to charity and it is not necessary for you to cover the platform fees as invited. ForRefugees pays platform fees to JustGiving so RefYouMe is happy for you to change this option to £0.