I WRITE to encourage readers of the Times to mark World Humanitarian Day on August 19 by asking ourselves how might we all contribute to a more humane Britain.

The United Nations created World Humanitarian Day to celebrate the ordinary heroes around the world working to save lives and alleviate suffering when disaster or conflict strikes. Yet even here in Okehampton, we can contribute to the humanitarian cause.

Right now, the UK Government is making decisions on how many places of sanctuary to offer to refugees from Syria and elsewhere. You often hear it said that ‘charity begins at home’ and one small thing we can all do is to tell our government that we stand for a country based on compassion, inclusion and treating people with humanity, wherever they’re from.

Please visit http://careint.uk/refugeepetition16 to sign a petition calling on our government to do more to protect refugees, here and across the world. And please ask your friends and family to do the same. In the relative comfort of Okehampton it is the least we can do.

Gillian Hearn

Okehampton