A CONVOY of aid collected by supporters from the North-East will be delivered to refugees in Calais later this month.

Support group North East Solidarity With Calais Refugees has organised a mercy mission to bring tents, sleeping bags, food, clothing and toiletries to help the thousands of refugees living in camps around the French port.

Organisers set up the group aiming to send two vans packed with essential supplies, but have been inundated with offers of help at dozens of drop-off points across the region and will now send a convoy of at least eight vehicles on September 18.

Their Facebook group was set up by South Shields documentary film maker Shah Lalon Amin and Teesside lecturer Jenni Yuill.

Mr Amin said: “We were moved to act after seeing images of refugees trying to get into the UK and seeing the dehumanisation of these people, referred to as a swarm by Cameron.

“We thought, hang on these are people fleeing wars. Statistics show that 64 per cent of those in Calais are from Iraq, Syria and Eritrea.”

Mr Amin said more than 1,000 people showed their support within days – growing to 7,500 since shocking pictures of three-year-old Syrian Alan Kurdi, who drowned while trying to flee to Greece, caused worldwide outrage.

Mr Amin said: “We have been overwhelmed by the support people have given and the generosity shown.

“It shows that the this anti-immigrant narrative is not shared by a large part of British society. Clearly our British values of compassion and tolerance is alive and kicking."

Meanwhile, children and volunteers from the 60-strong Coxhoe Scout Group are to hold a collection next week to gather donations of tents, sleeping bags, toiletries and shoes which will be delivered to migrant camps near the French port.

The collection will take place at the Village Hall in Coxhoe, near Durham on Monday (Sept 7) between 6.30pm and 8pm.

Assistant Cub Scout Leader Alison McManus said: “People have been left feeling horrified by what they have seen and wanted to do something.

“We are mainly hoping for tents, sleeping bags, toiletries and shoes for the delivery which is going down to Calais later this month, but we will accept anything which is donated”.