DISPLACEMENT AND PATIENCE IN CALAIS

February 25th 2026

Today in Calais everyone experienced the most beautiful, unseasonal Spring weather, with bright blue skies and warm air. From the Calais beach, the White Cliffs of Dover appeared on the horizon as if only an arm’s length away. This was the first calm weather in two weeks which means that people will inevitably be taking the immense risks of trying to cross in small boats to the UK.

The freshly painted day centre @calais.exilessc was laid out expectantly with hundreds of charging points, and the place was busy with preparation to greet people displaced in the Calais area, mostly young unaccompanied young men from Sudan. A large group from Lille prepared Ramadan food packages for the breaking of fast this evening.

We set up The Community Table outside in the strong sunshine, having been moved from the main space inside. Initially the sun was too bright, the placement too close to the football, so for the second time we moved the table until it finally found its place in the shade.

Outside we could appreciate different perspectives, supported by the natural light. In contrast to the 3D images created by the ViewMasters which are for a single viewer, we noticed several young men enjoying looking at slides with ourselves and others through our pocket slide viewers, exclaiming at the vivid clarity of the images of birds, mountains and flowers.

We also noted the contrast between the continual movement of the adjacent football players passing the football to each other in a circle, and the small scale, quiet calm and gentle activity around the table. The afternoon gradually found its pace, a number of young people becoming immersed in what they were doing for a sustained period of time. Several small homes and structures were made with the miniature building materials.

As we know from many years of offering The Community Table in this setting, we have to have faith and patience that its rhythm will be found, and that those who need it most will find their way to it.

Words by Miriam Usiskin & Bobby Lloyd.