A mum moved by the plight of child refugees is setting off on a mission to help.

Laura Teisler-Goldsmith, from Ingress Park in Greenhithe, set up the Facebook group Help for Leros to get aid to people escaping Syria and fleeing to Greece.

Mrs Teisler-Goldsmith, 40, is a mum of a boy, eight, and a daughter, five.

The former lawyer, who now home-educates her children, was due to fly out to the Greek islands today, joining rescue teams bringing the boats safely to the beach. She is there until February 28.

Since October she and a team of local people have collected and sorted 145 boxes, each containing dozens of clothing packs.

She said: “Our aim is to give them a pack of clothes, get the children changed as quickly as possible and then take them to medics.”

But she has had death threats for the work she has done. “People don’t always understand, and I’ve had people accusing me of supporting terrorism.”

Mrs Teisler-Goldsmith said the gesture goes beyond the practicalities of giving a cold person something warm to put on.

“I see it as a privilege to be able to help. It carries a message that there are people who care and understand they are leaving their country not out of choice but because they have to.

"These people come off the boats after a massive trauma; the people meeting them need to be welcoming, calm and informative.

“Many people probably don’t know that many people take minimal belongings with them, but because smugglers try to maximise the people on the boats – charging €2,000 per adult, and €1,000 per child, from even a one-week-old baby – they literally chuck all their things into the sea.

"The waves are high, sometimes the boats capsize and the refugees arrive with literally nothing other than what they are wearing.”

You can find out more on the Help For Leros Facebook page.