A BOURNEMOUTH church minister has visited migrants in Calais to assist aid workers in the area.

Gemma Dunning, children, youth and families pastor for West Cliff Baptist Church, and son, Rhys, 17, headed to the port town in northern France to bring supplies and see what help is needed.

They were part of a group of 13 people, mainly made up of Christian youth workers from around the UK, who wanted to support the work of the small charities already providing food, clothing and shelter to people in Calais.

She said: "The estimates of how many people there vary depending on who you speak to but one person thought that there were about 4,000 people there and around 100 people arriving each day.

"The national papers all report how the people want to come to England but most of them don't want to come here. They are just applying for French asylum and I think that they are just glad to no longer be in fear of their lives."

Gemma said that their group took over five carloads of things, including collections from Flirt Cafe Bar, raising £2,000 to buy things once they were there.

"Our goal was to see who was already working on the ground and find out what they needed. What we found is that there are two or three small charities there, with each one having two or three people helping. So for example there was one charity and sorting food distribution and another doing clothes distribution.

"There is not the huge aid operation in a warehouse with 100 people working in it like you expect. It was quite a shock."

Gemma said that she spoke to one child, who said that he had fled with Israel with his mother, which he told her as she helped him to tie his shoelaces.

"I met a six-year-old boy who begged me to take him home with me because he was scared that he was going to die.

"When we were there, we bought extra for the food distribution, which happens twice a week and is organised by a small charity. There is provisions for 400 people and as soon as the van arrives, they line up and it's first come, first served so around 3,600 people will go hungry."

Anyone who wants to help should call West Cliff Baptist Church, on Poole Road, on 01202 767070.