Don't forget our soldiers at Christmas

My colleague Bob Doris is helping to launch something really interesting at the Parliament tomorrow. It's HART rescue's "Shoebox Appeal". Basically they're looking for people to donate a shoebox filled with little Christmas gifts for forces personnel serving in the various wars we are involved in right now. The priority is for those who don't have families here mainly because they've been brought up in care. Can you imagine being stuck in Afghanistan right now when day after day we're hearing about someone else dying in this war but worse, knowing that there's not a family at home to worry about you. And of course with Christmas coming up, many folk won't have anyone to send them a few home comforts. So that's what HART rescue and Bob are doing tomorrow - collecting them in. I think this is just the LAUNCH of the appeal so if you hear that they're collecting near to you, why not hand something in? Let them know we're thinking about them.

You've given Precious hope

If you could see the size of my smile right now you wouldn't recognise me. I have just received 2 phone calls.

1) Florence Mhango at 6.09pm: "Annie, we are going back to Yarls Wood, they have cancelled our flight."

2) Paul Chen QC: "We now have to advance the arguments but we live to fight another day Anne."

So, they are off the flight and now they have an advocate ready to fight their case. I know a wee girl who has suddenly got some hope tonight. It's only the start of the fight to save her and her mum but in 5 minutes time they could have been leaving forever, on their way to an uncertain and unsafe future.

More later but for now, I just want to thank everyone for all your help so far.

Tick Tock

It's been a flurry of activity throughout the day in my office - all of us working on keeping Florence and Precious here. Now, there's nothing left to do. The QC will call the home office in the next half hour to find out if they're willing to delay the deportation pending his application for a judicial review. Weird feeling in the office. There are bursts of noise when we're all trying to cheer each other up and then it just falls silent again and we sit and wait. Every so often my phone will go and we all jump.

And whilst we're waiting and feeling sick with nerves, our thoughts keep turning to Florence and Precious sitting at Heathrow Airport just waiting as the seconds tick away. Precious, who let me tell you is a beautiful little girl inside and out, will be wondering what lies ahead in her life. Florence could tell her because she knows exactly what is in store.

I wonder at what stage does a mother decide it's time to stop pretending she can keep her daughter safe and instead try to equip this wee ten year old to cope with the horrors she could face by telling her the truth?

Update on Precious

Just to update everyone on the Florence and Precious Mhango deportation case, in the early hours of this morning Florence phoned me with the news I've been waiting for. Paul Chen QC, an English advocate, has agreed to fight for them. We can't get too carried away but at this very minute they are on their way to the airport and in 5 hrs their flight will take off so we've really nothing left to lose.

Paul Chen was described to me as a "deportations specialist" who "can pull rabbits out of hats". He's convinced this is a case worth fighting for exactly the same reason as those of you who have emailed and phoned me in droves. It cannot be right to send a ten year old girl who had her early childhood traumatised by her father's violence toward her mother, back to a country where her father's family have already staked their claim and will certainly take her from her mother on arrival.

It particularly cannot be right when he is apparently entitled to live and work here!

Precious has a right to be with her family. And her family is her mum, Florence.

Thank you for everything you have done so far - when it's all over I'll share with you some of the fantastic support we've received from some surprising quarters.

Don't think we can leave it all to the QC however. If he is successful today, the home office may still deport them. They can do that apparently. So they need you to keep emailing phil.woolas@homeoffice.gsi.gov.uk. UPDATE 5pm - this email is now bouncing back so please email public.enquiries@homeoffice.gsi.gov.uk instead.

Florence Mhango asked me (you will recall) that anyone contacting Phil Woolas do so respectfully. (She's a very respectful person and brings her daughter up to be the same.) And she also believes that Phil Woolas has a very difficult job to do. I agree. I mean that sincerely. I accept that sometimes deportations have to happen. I just believe that it would be unspeakably awful if the Mhangos were to be deported.

Anyway, emails still welcome but please keep in mind Florence's request for a respectful approach. And thank you again. There is one more thing that you can do. The QC is a private one and we have to raise money to cover any court action. I'll tell you more when the people in Cranhill have set up their bank account for donations.

News from Yarls Wood

On a brighter note than the one below, Florence phoned me earlier from Yarls Wood. She sounded calm and she is gaining strength from being kept updated about how many emails or calls I've had about her and how many folk have joined the Facebook group.

She told me Precious was outside playing with other children also awaiting deportation. I was so relieved to hear that because I can't tell you how utterly traumatised she was last time she was there. She cried a lot on the journey down south which must have been just dreadful for her mum because what comfort could she offer her? But at least when we spoke Precious was playing and not crying.

And Florence herself had found someone to talk to. She said she cried with relief when she met a Nigerian woman who she knew from Glasgow. They used to sign at the UKBA at the same time. We managed to laugh a little when she said to me "all we are doing is crying all the time but at least we are crying together". Small mercies eh?

Human beings and our ability to tear each other apart

When you feel like you're wading through treacle and at the same time trying to keep a level head, it's harsh to get emails from people attacking you for caring too much. I've had 2 emails from people really angry that I'm trying to help Florence and little Precious. Maybe I should be saying I've "only" had 2. Maybe I should be grateful that it's only 2 and to be honest I don't feel angry at the senders, just incredibly sad. The latest anonymous one received 5 minutes ago said he was "appalled" that I wanted to save them.

If you're reading this all I would say is that I am sorry you have lost your job and I realise how tough that is for you. I do. I was unemployed for 2 years and it's horrible, it's so much more than just the money, I know that. I also know you didn't mean what you said in your email to me and it's the stress of your personal situation that's caused you to say it. But it's not their fault. It's easy to say what you said because Florence and Precious are anonymous to you but I do not believe for a second if you were to meet them, you could look them in the eye and tell them you were sending them back to Malawi.

I have an uncle who might say the same as you but in reality if he were to meet Precious, he'd want to be her Granda'. She's a living breathing, beautiful, kind, gentle little human being and she deserves an education, she deserves a childhood but most of all she deserves to be with her mum. I don't know what else to say.

Deportation Update

I have just received a text from Florence Mhango to let me know that she and Precious have arrived at Yarls Wood. I told her that many people have joined the campaign to keep them here and she wants me to pass on her thanks. She is exhausted but I know it helps to know so many people care.