I was in the makeshift refugee camp near Dunkirk on Saturday morning watching Angus, Mark, San and Jake dig a new hole-in-the-ground toilet.

I’d excused myself from the physical labour after twisting my ankle in the morning. And I was musing that no one watching would know that and I was being a bad female role model! When I heard a little voice beside me.

I looked down to see a young girl with a warm happy smile chattering away in really good English. She was asking questions about what we were doing and telling me where she was from and more.

I asked her age and she asked me to guess! I got my first guess of 12 wrong, but had her with my second guess of 10! When she asked how old I am I asked her to guess too and happily accepted her first attempt of 32!!

By now she was flanked by her smiley little sister and two younger brothers.

She said that she doesn’t go to school but learned English from her Dutch friends in Bosnia. And then she named them one by one. My heart fell a little knowing these friends were charity employees, or volunteers, rather than other kids her own age.

She made a cross with her fingers and asked me what the word for it was and I said “plus”, next was “minus” and then “times”. She said she couldn’t do times sums very well, but I could ask her any plus sums.

I’m not around kids too much so was thinking what the right level of sum for a 10 year old might be! I asked her 8 + 6.

It was the first time she went quiet and she looked stumped so I quickly asked 4 + 4 and she happily replied 8! Phew! We were back on track.

Before I had time for another I heard “14”. Her little sister had worked out the more difficult sum in her head! The sisters hugged and we all laughed saying maybe the older sister would be great at language and the younger girl would be the maths star!

In the meantime the hole-in-the-ground toilet had been moved and cleaned and it was time to go.

I said goodbye wondering how long it will be until this bright, happy 10 year old, and her younger siblings, go to school again. And what will she see and experience before then?

Please please don’t let this time in the destitution and hostility of Dunkirk break her beautiful spirit.