AN EMERGENCY collection set up to help refugees in Dunkirk received a flood of donations withing hours, say organisers.

The collection, held at the Independent in Hanover, Brighton, on Thursday night, was organised by Calais Action Brighton and the School Bus Project.

They were gathering emergency supplies for the Refugee Women’s Centre in Dunkirk after a fire at the centre destroyed a warehouse full of supplies.

Rowena Gerrett, an organiser with Calais Action Brighton, said: “We were really pleased with the number of donations that came in, especially as this is only 48 hours since the fire.

“We are now in the process of transporting the items to Dunkirk where they will be distributed to the refugees who have been living in the area.

“I think the Hanover community were particularly constructive in terms of how much they contributed.

“These items will help people who are desperately in need and so our thanks go out to everyone who donated.”

The emergency call was put out after fire ripped through a warehouse in Grande-Synthe, Dunkirk, which was being used by the Refugee Women’s Centre to store key provisions.

The centre said all stock inside was destroyed.

A statement released by the centre said: “Local organisations, including our own, rely on this stock to provide basic aid to the roughly 700 men, women and children still living outside in the Dunkirk area.

“In order to be able to continue supporting the over 100 family units around the region, we need to replace our high-need items as fast as possible.”

In just two days since the fire, a gofundme campaign for the shelter has raised more than £20,000 to help provide supplies.

Ms Gerrett said: “What is important is that although the issue is out of the media spotlight, there is still a huge need for donations and support.

“People are living here in terrible situations with no real way out, so it’s vital that we don’t just forget them.

She also praised local responses to the crisis, highlighting the work of groups as well as individuals and members of the public in the city.

“Since the situation in Calais worsened a couple of years ago, it’s been commendable how active the people of Brighton have been in trying to help.

“There’s groups like the Hummingbird Project and Voices In Exile that are based in the city and they’ve done so much good work since the crisis began.”