IN September 2015, photos of the body of toddler Alan Kurdi, a Syrian refugee who had died while his family attempted to flee to Europe, washed up on a beach sent shockwaves around the world.

One of the people who felt deeply moved by the heartbreaking images was Nicola Walters.

And while many people may have chosen to look away and put the growing refugee crisis out of their minds, Nicola felt compelled to do something to help.

She looked online to see if there was anywhere local to her organising collections for refugees, and not finding anywhere she, along with others in the area, began collecting items themselves.

This led on to Nicola, from Woolston, Southampton, becoming a founder member of Southampton Action, a voluntary group which supports refugees both locally and overseas.

As well as collecting clothing, toiletries, food and other items for refugees and asylum seekers, Nicola and other members of the group also travel to France to offer direct, practical help to refugees.

And Nicola has just returned from a four day trip, helping to prepare and distribute food and essentials to refugees on the streets of Calais.

"I didn't know much about refugees or asylum seekers before September 2015," says Nicola, who at the time worked for the probation service.

"Likewise for the rest of the group.

"I've always been politically interested, but I never really did anything. Now, I'm much more committed to doing practical things to make a difference."

Nicola has visited Calais for the day a few times, to help refugee groups there, and last week, went for four days.

"I just wanted to get more involved," she explains.

"When I went the first few times I just felt glad to have contributed. But this time it was harder coming back because there weren't enough volunteers to do things like run the kitchen when I was there, and I know coming away means I'm leaving them with fewer people. It makes me want to go back all the more."

Nicola says that there are around 700 refugees on the streets of Calais.

"When we were in the kitchen and the warehouse, it wasn't very different to doing that sort of work here, but it was striking when we were out on the streets, distributing food and essentials.

"There are all these people with nowhere to go. It's very visible that these people are around.

"There was a lot of upset and disruption, because the police had just been given new powers and they'd cleared a camp on Tuesday and taken away all the tents and sleeping bags that had been donated to the refugees.

"Suddenly they had been left with nothing again, so there was more tension.

"In Dunkirk, there are women and children. It's mostly young men in Calais, but some of them looked so young to me, they looked like children."

Nicola is looking forward to returning to Calais at the end of April and is encouraging anyone interested to join her and the other volunteers.

"They are desperate for volunteers, and not everyone has someone to go with, so we're inviting people to come with us," she says.

For Nicola, the events of September 2015 have changed her life.

She now works with a local project for refugees and asylum seekers, CLEAR, and has become galvanized to take action to help others in need.

"I've become much more determined to get out and do something to help," she says.

"This group has made me see the practical difference that one person can make.

"I've learnt a lot through working with refugees," she adds.

"It's opened my eyes to the things that I take for granted. We live in a safe country. I have everything I need. It makes me think about how easily that could be taken away.

"A lot of these people had the same things I have. War, civil war or natural disasters have made people move.

"You take for granted that it won't happen to you, but obviously it has happened to these people.

"It makes me think how fragile things are and that you shouldn't put things off.

"No one elects to live like the people in France and Greece are living. No one decides to be a refugee."

* For more information about Southampton Action, visit their Facebook page, or email southamptonaction@gmail.com