Dozens of children’s shoes were left outside Truro Cathedral recently to protest against Cornish MPs’ failure to support family reunion. All six MPs have voted against the Dubs amendment to the Nationality and Borders Bill, which would have created safe routes for child migrants to join their families in the UK.

Phoebe McCauley, a local campaigner with Safe Passage International, said: “The shoes represent all the child refugees, currently on their own, who have been let down by the UK Government and Cornish MPs. We wanted to send a message to our local representatives that we’re ashamed they didn’t do more to help unaccompanied children to be with their families again. We’ve abandoned these shoes outside Truro Cathedral like our MPs have abandoned child refugees.”

The event was organized by the Newquay Refugee Support Group – NRSG and Safe Passage UK but was supported by other groups across Cornwall with shoe donations. After the event, the shoes were donated to local charities in Newquay.