WANTAGE has become the latest town to start collecting aid for Calais refugees, with civic leaders and business owners backing the appeal.

Charity champion Ray Collins has arranged two aid collection days at Wantage Health and Wellbeing Centre on Saturday and Sunday, October 3 and 4, from 10am to 4pm.

He is also collecting food and toiletry donations at Peter Ledbury electricals in Grove Street, of which he is manager.

Staff at the Co-op in Grove are hoping to run a collection at the shop and more collection days are to be confirmed.

One Wantage resident is planning to rent a van and drive the whole load of donations down to Calais herself in November.

Gail Vallis, 26, who lives in Market Place, has volunteered to haul Wantage’s donations across the channel as part of a convoy of vans and cars leaving Oxford for the charity Calaid.

Miss Vallis, who grew up in Stanford-in-the-Vale and went to King Alfred’s School, said: “From the reaction we’ve had already, Wantage seems keen to help.

“I don’t want to get involved in the political debate, but I am not comfortable about the conditions in which humans are living, especially when it’s so close to home.

“I don’t want to pressure anyone into going out of their way, but this is quite an easy way to help. We all have excess stuff in our lives.”

Thousands of refugees from war in Syria and Iraq and unrest in other middle eastern countries are now living at official and unofficial camps in Calais.

Prime Minister David Cameron has pledged to take up to 20,000 Syrian refugees into the UK over the next five years, but not from the Calais camps.

Miss Vallis, a paralegal in London who volunteers for other charities, teamed up with Mr Collins to get as many donations as possible.

Mr Collins said: “Like everyone I had been watching the news, it was all very sad but for me it was seeing those kids on the Turkish beach and thinking ‘what can I do?’. Then my phone started going mad with messages from people saying ‘what can we do?’ “I’ve got so many contacts who can help fundraising so we set up a meeting, and one of the people who came along was Gail. This is just about helping people at their lowest ebb and getting some aid over to them.”

Mr Collins said he expected hundreds of people to help out, and more than 130 have also joined a Facebook group promoting the collection.

Calaid is looking for shoes or trainers, wellies, socks, hooded jumpers, jackets, trousers, shirts, t-shirts and underwear.

In terms of shelter people have been asked for sleeping bags, tents, blankets, wooden pallets and canvas sheets.

The charity has also appealed for the following food: tinned goods, rice, cooking oil, onions, ginger, tomato sauce, spices, sugar and flour.

Mobile phones would also be welcomed, along with razors, shaving foam, toothbrushes, soap and combs.

* Find out more at facebook.com/events/136153480063734/