First Aid Support Team - FAST

As I watch the May 7th election results coverage, it is challenging to see the politics of division in manifestation.

As an antidote, I want to tell you about some people I met in Calais. These 5 memories have stuck in my mind as they humanize these individuals.

To Glasgow- Attending a site, we spoke to an Eritrean man who had just returned from a failed crossing. He had been at sea for 13 hours in a dinghy. He enquired where we were from. Smiling, he said “I will see you in Glasgow.” It transpired his mum and brother lived in Glasgow, my home city.

A prayer- Over three visits to our biggest site, I witnessed a man quietly retreat to a tree nearby. He would retrieve the same piece of cardboard out of the tree, using it as a prayer mat. Like many in times of distress, prayer can sustain us, offering solace and comfort.

The bracelet- I dressed a wound for a young Sudanese teenager, sustained after falling from a lorry. I noticed he had a bracelet with a heart charm, inscribed with ‘MUM’. He told me his mum had a similar bracelet, her half of the heart inscribed with ‘SON’.

Glasses- A man had lost his glasses and was complaining of headaches. We managed to source him some glasses. In hindsight, we likely didn’t have the correct prescription and he squinted trying them on! Yet, the man graciously accepted, saying the glasses were perfect.

Memorial- Following further fatalities in the Channel, we attended a memorial in Calais town centre. A large scroll was rolled out which has documented those who have died attempting to cross the Channel, since 1999. New names and their ages are added with every fatality.

Most were teenage or young men.

Some were babies.

Multiple are unidentified and symbolised with an ‘X’.

- From a recent volunteer

“On our second day volunteering, we met a young guy at one of the sites who said very little.
Not because of language or nervousness but because he couldn’t move his mouth for pain.
I asked to inspect his teeth. He could barely open his mouth but I was able to see a very large abscess from a broken back tooth that was clearly infected. His left cheek was swollen and pain was radiating down to his throat and up to his ear.

I explained we could give basic treatment like a clean toothbrush, toothpaste, mouthwash, antiseptic wash and clove oil rub for the tooth itself to provide some pain relief but that he urgently needed to see a dentist for an extraction/antibiotics.
He was willing to try anything and nodded, following our advice.

The problem is, dentists only offer services a few days each month. We did not know when the next clinic at the hospital would be.

He came back to us the next day.
Again, we urged him to go to the hospital clinic for antibiotics but he was very reluctant. He was just 16 years old and had traveled alone all the way from Sudan.
He also didn’t want to miss an opportunity to cross, the thought of real safety was more of a priority than a serious infection.

Later in the afternoon he came back to see me. He had been to the clinic but he had only been prescribed painkillers- no antibiotics.
The dentist wasn’t there and we still didn’t have a date for their next clinic.

This plays reflections onto the nature of displacement.

Not knowing what tomorrow or the next will bring, where you will be, or what you will be facing.
Over the coming days we saw this young person again and again.
We built a rapport and laughed about my terrible Arabic pronunciation, or a joke about football. Just normal human conversation that meant this boy, felt just like that, a boy and not a displaced person.

His pain got a lot better and his swelling reduced. We later got confirmation of the next dentist date and on my last day volunteering he attended the clinic and was able to see the dentist.”
- A reflection from a recent volunteer

If you are interested in volunteering with us please send us a message 💙

Our Board member Jackie has just come back from visiting the FAST team in the field.
“Visiting the team in France this week was both humbling and inspiring. Working clinically alongside our volunteers reminded me of the realities faced by people on the move, and the vital role FAST plays in meeting their most basic health needs.

Mike, our Field Coordinator, exemplifies compassionate and values-driven care. He ensures people receive essential treatment and, just as importantly, dignity and respect. His work, alongside the dedication of the wider volunteer team, highlights what can be achieved even in the most challenging circumstances.

What remains deeply troubling is the environment in which this care is delivered. People continue to live in squalid, unstable conditions, shaped by a persistently hostile context that undermines both physical and mental wellbeing. These are not short-term hardships, but ongoing realities.

Being there reinforced for me the importance of both action and advocacy. The commitment of Mike and the volunteers is remarkable—but so too is the need for this work to exist at all.”
-Jackie