DOZENS of volunteers raised money for refugees by 'jiving for the Jungle' in Lyme Regis.

More than 70 people turned out at the Town Mill to raise more than £1,200 for the refugees in Calais.

Supporters enjoyed an evening of entertainment provided by local musicians, as well as a bar set up by Lyme Regis Brewery and Lyme Bay Winery.

The group has now raised more than £3,500 for the cause.

Organiser Lucy Campbell is going over to volunteer with the refugees in Calais next month.

She said: “I’m really overwhelmed. People have been very generous and shown that they really do care.

"Most have said that they feel helpless in knowing what to do and that our fundraising has given them an opportunity to offer practical help. It has also helped people better understand the crisis and raise awareness of the growing problem.”

Speaking at the event on Saturday, Ms Campbell gave guests a short talk on the current situation for refugees in the Calais refugee camp.

She said: “The population now stands at over 10,000. These are people who have come from all over the world fleeing conflict and persecution - the majority of whom have links to the UK.

"The camp looks like a third world shanty town and is dirty, lawless and dangerous. Due to the French Government not recognising the ‘Jungle’ as an official refugee camp, no main aid organisations like Unicef and Save the Children are allowed to work there. This means that small grassroots organisations like ‘Help Refugees’ have sprung up and are doing their best to meet the need but struggle to do so without the funds and infrastructure of a large charity."

She added: "One of the most concerning issues is the number of unaccompanied children; there are now over 900 who are completely alone in the camp and who are very vulnerable to trafficking, abuse and even death; only the next day after our event on Saturday, another boy of 14 years old was killed in a hit and run incident in Calais, trying to board one of the lorries.”

The group of volunteers will go to Calais on October 6 to volunteer for a week. Until then, they are collecting money around Lyme Regis through collection tins, with all funding raised going to the charity, Help Refugees.