The Mirror — Many British couples dream of leaving Blighty behind and opening a hotel on an island in the sun. It was no different for Eric and Philippa Kempson when they thought about their future together.
But it was the global refugee crisis which pushed them to buy their seafront guest house on the Greek island of Lesbos.
And rather than welcoming British tourists, they have opened their doors to the hundreds of fleeing refugees who land on its shores each month.
Now, as Turkey and the EU agree their “one in, one out” policy in response to the migrant crisis, Philippa says: “I’m absolutely speechless about these latest measures – they’re farcical. Labels like ‘irregular migration’ are meaningless.
“We need to remember these are human beings fleeing horrific circumstances.”
Hotel Elpis, on tranquil Eftalou Beach, gives desperate refugees shelter, somewhere to wash and a meal when they land on Lesbos. The 20-room hotel welcomed its first 110 residents two weeks ago.
“In Greek Elpis is the goddess of hope, so it seemed fitting that we called the hotel the Hope Centre,” says Philippa, 43.
“First and foremost that’s what we provide these people with: hope. We are trying to give the families a few hours of dignity and somewhere where they are treated as people, not as refugees.
“We hadn’t planned to open our doors so early, as we are still waiting for our health and safety licenses. But last week one of the aid agencies begged us to help 110 people who had just arrived on boats. Every facility on the island was full.”
Philippa and Eric, 60, got involved in the crisis last summer, when they started handing out water to refugees.
Philippa explains: “We thought bigger agencies would come to help, but when none did, we thought, we have to help these people ourselves.” It was then that they decided to open the hotel.
“We’ve used our own savings and are working on the project 24/7,” she says. “Tourists have been kind enough to leave money at supermarkets so we can buy supplies to hand out.”
The couple have also been given help with the hotel’s rent by Glasgow housing charity PAIH. Philippa adds: “Eric is an artist and makes oak products we sell.
“But last summer he didn’t have the time to do that because of our work with refugees. So I don’t know how we are going to survive ourselves financially this year, but we will deal with those issues when they come.”
The Kempsons moved to the island in 1999 from Newport, Gwent, after falling in love with it while on holiday. The plan was always to open a hotel to run in their retirement.
Philippa says: “We live about 150 metres from the beach and while there have always been a few boats coming in, they were made up of young men wanting a new life.
“We started to see an increase and change in the types of people who were arriving. It became families and, in some heartbreaking cases, it has been children on their own. Lesbos has a detention centre where refugees are processed, but when they first land there is nowhere for them to go.
“We’ve had women staggering off boats and giving birth on the beach, some hauled off unconscious, others crying and some cheering as they are so happy to be alive.
“When you’re taking your child to school and you encounter families with small children who have spent the night on the beach, shivering and frightened, as a parent and as a human there’s nothing else you can do but help.”
