Dear friends and donors,

First of all I want to say, from the deepest part of me, thank you to everyone for the contributions towards Sara’s Boat. To raise the money has been a huge labour of love for me and the interest and support online, both in terms of money and all the messages of encouragement - have been hugely energising and motivating. From being so shaken by the circumstances of Sara’s arrival, experiencing the hardship of Idomeni, to witnessing the conditions of refugee life in the Balkans - I have learnt so much during my journey. But one of the most positive things for me has been to see how people who cannot drop everything and go themselves, have been willing to support from afar in a pragmatic way.

We reached the goal a couple of weeks ago. Since then I have been in regular contact with the rescue team (PROEM AID) about our next steps. We also had a lovely reunion when the leaders came to Berlin for the fundraising concert. It was particularly special to have them there on the day we reached the 15K target.

As everyone knows, the political situation is radically shifting in Europe and on the Aegean Sea itself. For that reason, it has been - and will continue to be - important to implement solutions step by step whilst staying well informed. So, i have been in regular contact with Proem Aid, aid workers on Lesvos, as well as meeting in person with Cadus and Atlantic Pacific - German and British rescue teams based in Berlin with operations in Lesvos.

Since the EU Turkey deal, it is true that the number of daily arrivals has declined. Equally, in the last weeks there have been more deaths in the Aegean (most recently 4 women and a child). There is also a strong sense on the ground in Lesvos that refugees will continue to come over - possibly in great numbers - due to the terribly declining situation, once again, on the ground in Syria.

The motivation behind Sara’s Boat is simple. That regardless of political belief, the death of children in European waters in unacceptable. It is my belief that now, as the media, aid agencies and political arena shift their focus towards Libya and the Mediterranean, the work of smaller volunteer groups on Lesvos has become more important than ever. I feel that if our boat helps value and protect one human life, then this is what matters most. With currently in the region of 100 arrivals by sea per day, there remains a humanitarian need to support the people making this perilous journey in poorly constructed dinghies.

Having outlined the broader context, here is a brief summary of the current situation with our Boat for Sara campaign ::

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1) PROEM AID have potentially been offered a boat by Spanish port authorities. It is not yet confirmed. There will be a meeting soon between the relevant parties at which point we will know more.

2) If this Boat is not donated, our goal is still to buy Sara’s Boat directly.

3) If the Spanish boat is donated, the money will go towards maintaining a sustainable rescue operation on Lesvos. This will include the kitting out of rescue materials, transport, fuel costs and maintenance of the boat.

4) If this Spanish boat materialises, we will effectively be in a position where the largest overhead is automatically covered, meaning that a longer, more sustainable operation is possible. I am very very hopeful that Sara’s Boat will have this unexpected birth. My hope is the money we have raised can be as effective as possible for as long as possible.

5) Whatever happens the money will be donated to PROEM AID and their continuing work on Lesvos.

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I will be in regular contact with Onio Arias, the boss of PROEM AID over the next weeks, and will send a new update when there is more information. The most important thing is that the money is used responsibly with the goal of sustaining a humanitarian mission which contributes to saving lives.

Finally, the album has gone to print, and will be in the post to everyone in the next few weeks!

Thank you again,

Jim