TWO young women from Wiveliscombe are seeking to provide comfort to refugees across Europe in the form of tea and soup.

Lily Stephenson, 26, and former Kingsmead School student Rosie Johnson, 21, hope to set off at the end of next month in their SolidariTea truck and start work in Belgrade in Serbia.

They say thousands of people there are sleeping out in temperatures as low as minus 16 degrees with no support or services.

They say the Serbian government has banned aid reaching people sleeping in warehouses and shelters on the snowy streets but small volunteer organisations are still helping.

The tea truck, with tables and chairs, musical instruments, shelter, a fire pit and warming tea and soup, aims to provide a safe gathering place and positive, friendly faces to displaced people. The pair hope then to drive south towards Greece and the Greek Islands.

Lily and Rosie have been working in Souda refugee camp on Chios, Greece, for the past four months where they said they met hundreds of people as they arrived on the shore and saw the desperation in their faces.

They said: “As we went about camp daily life we noticed how much of an important role tea played in the well-being and happiness of the residents. So we thought up SolidariTea, a moving cafe offering friendship and comfort to those in need.

“A place to come to reflect, relax, meet new people, warm up and, most of all, to distract oneself if only for a moment from the fear of tomorrow.

“No-one believes that a cup of tea can solve the biggest refugee crisis to hit the European continent since the Second World War but neither can we accept that even this most basic act of welcome is withheld.”

To find out more about the project visit www.facebook.com/

refugeesolidaritea and to donate go to https://www.justgiving.com/

crowdfunding/solidaritea

Lily and Rosie are holding a fundraising event at Wiveliscombe Community Centre next Thursday (February 2) from 6.30pm where they will talk about their experiences in the refugee camp in Greece and explain plans for the SolidariTea truck, which is currently being converted, and will be on show.