A WIRRAL-born teacher who lives in Lesbos has told how he has been moved to help refugees arriving on the Greek island from war-torn Syria.

Len Meachim, 59, originally from Hoylake and who emigrated to Greece 30 years ago, is volunteering for the Greek partner agency of UK aid agency CAFOD - The Catholic Agency for Overseas Development.

On his day off from teaching five to seven-year olds at a Greek state school, Len drives around Lesbos handing out bottles of water to families who have just arrived off the boats.

He has also helped distribute sleeping bags and mats at the refugee camps, thanks in part to donations from CAFOD supporters in the north west of England.

He told the Globe: "There has been a steady trickle of refugees coming over the past seven or eight years but now huge numbers of people are making the treacherous journey to the island in rubber dinghies from Turkey.

“They’re not coming just to have a better life, but to have a life. The least I can do is what little I can to help them."

He has also helped distribute sleeping bags and mats at the refugee camps, thanks in part to donations from CAFOD supporters in the north west of England.

Assessing the crisis, Len said: "It’s hard to understand the scale of the problem here. I see hundreds of people walking on the roads.

"In town at one stage it was like being outside Goodison or Anfield on match day. People have been sleeping in the parks, roads, streets - anywhere they can.

"Most people are from Syria but there are people from other countries as well like Iran, Iraq and Afghanistan.

"And they are all leaving, I think, for the same reasons that Syrians are. They are running away from war.

“They’re incredibly relieved when they arrive which I think shows the danger they have been through to get here.

“What really strikes me though is that these people could be us. When you look at them they are not really that different from any other family.

“Everybody at CAFOD’s partner agency, Caritas Hellas, is trying to do a little bit - and it really is a very small amount – to make sure these people have the strength to carry on with their journey because after here there are even more difficulties that await them as they head north to start a new life in Europe.”

Pupils at a Wirral school have been raising money for CAFOD’s Refugee Crisis Appeal which helped fund the mats and sleeping bags Len has been distributing in Lesbos.

Last week children from Holy Cross Catholic Primary School in Birkenhead wore bright socks for the day and made a donation to the charity.

Joanne McComb from the school said: "As a Catholic school we feel it is very important to make the children aware that there are lots of people in the developing world who are less fortunate than ourselves.

"Not only are we working together to support a worthy cause, but we also had a lot of fun wearing our bright socks.”

For more information about CAFOD or to donate to its Refugee Crisis Appeal go to www.cafod.org.uk