A GROUP of Southampton schoolchildren have taken part in a workshop to learn about the plight of refugees.

Up to 90 children drew pictures and wrote messages of hope for refugees across Europe through aid agency CAFOD.

Youngsters in year eight and nine from St George’s Catholic College gathered for a workshop titled ‘On the Move’ .

The event was led by five members of the Catholic Society from Southampton University.

The volunteers led groups of pupils who re-enacted a refugee family’s journey to safety, after being forced to leave their homes from war and terror.

At different stages of the journey the volunteers asked children to make choices between what items to take and what to leave behind.

These choices represented the real-life dilemmas which many families face.

Retired accountant and local CAFOD volunteer co-ordinator, Steve Deadwood, 67, organised the day for the pupils.

The aim of the event was to raise awareness as to why so many people are forced to leave their homes.

Steve said: “Our school visits with students from all faiths, cover a variety of subjects climate change, homelessness, health and sanitation, but I think it is particularly important in today’s climate that we do what we can to welcome the stranger, regardless of faith, race or background.

“The pilgrimages worked really well and we were very impressed at the level of respect, and empathy the pupils had for refugees, particularly the student’s maturity and understanding of the serious danger many women face during this journey.

“A particularly reflective, emotive part was when students had to make choices between what to leave behind and what to keep. These choices represented some of the real-life dilemmas which many refugees face.”

Steve added: “Each student made pledges of actions and wrote messages of hope welcoming refugees, on paper crosses”

It was inspired by the story of a boat carrying 500 refugees from Eritrea and Somalia, many of them children, sank off the island of Lampedusa between Tunisia and Sicily in 2013. Only 151 people survived.

The local carpenter on Lampedusa met some of the survivors and then collected wreckage from the boat.

"He made crosses for the survivors as a symbol of hope for the future.