Hi,

I’m Moya, a Quaker from Sheffield, currently living in London. For the past few years I have been involved in work with people on the move in Calais. Now, along with four other Quakers, I am working to set up a house of hospitality for vulnerable people living in the informal camps often called “jungles”.

As Quakers, the five of us seek to live out our faith in the world by providing a stable, welcoming home in a region where thousands of displaced people face daily exclusion, border violence, family separation and precarious living conditions. All of us involved in setting this house up have been involved with other projects in Calais and, between us, set up one house of hospitality and lived in/ran two others. The Quaker house will join the Toiles network of solidarity houses in Calais, which function outside state systems and are co-created by those who live in them.

We have secured an affordable, three bedroom home with a garden and raised the money for a deposit. Now we are looking for funds to help furnish and equip the house in order to begin to host our first guests in spring 2026. And ongoing donations to help us to run the house once we open.

This project is both practical and spiritual; we aim to use Quaker business method in our decisions and foster a spirit of equality and solidarity. We are welcoming volunteers all the time, both to help with hospitality work and practical set up. And we hope to provide a space for regular meetings for worship in Calais. In the current political environment it is more essential than ever to see that of God in everyone and stand with the most vulnerable.

Any donations would be hugely appreciated and will make a huge difference! If you can support in other ways, or have any questions about the project, please do get in touch.

In Friendship,

Moya Barnett