Merton residents have had an amazing response to calls to help Syrian refugees with petitions and collections gathering pace this week.

Petitions have been set up to express support for and welcome refugees to the area, meetings are being held to decide on the best way to help refugees integrate into Merton and churches have collected donations of everything from tents to working mobile phones.

Wimbledon Times:

Viviane Moussalli and Sean Hammond 

Public support has grown dramatically since photographs emerged of a drowned three-year-old Syrian boy washed up on a Turkish beach on September 2.

The Everyday Church in Queens Road, Wimbledon announced on the morning of Sunday, September 6 that it would be collecting donations to send to Calais today.

Venue elder at the church Sean Hammond, who helps lead the Colliers Wood Pastorate, said: "I can barely get into my office at the moment, there’s so much stuff. I have been humbled by the response from everyone at such short notice.

"As soon as we said we wanted to do something, people wanted to get involved. People are saying they want to house refugees in their homes.

"It’s almost as though people were just looking for an outlet to give stuff to and as soon as we advertised it came flooding in.

"We thought that maybe between us we could get a few things together, but the response from everyone has just been amazing."

More than 438,000 refugees applied for asylum in Europe between January and July this year, many of them fleeing from the conflict in Syria.

Last week, a photograph of three-year-old Syrian refugee Aylan Kurdi, who was washed up on a Turkish beach, triggered an outpouring of support for the refugees.

However, ex UKIP candidate for Wimbledon Peter Bucklitsch caused nationwide outrage after tweeting that Aylan's parents were responsible for his death for being 'greedy' and 'queue-jumping'.

Thur Sept 3: "Syrian boy's death was fault of greedy parents" tweets failed Wimbledon UKIP candidate

Mr Bucklitsch, who stood in the 2015 election, tweeted: "The little Syrian boy was well clothed & well fed. He died because his parents were greedy for the good life in Europe. Queue jumping costs."

He has since apologised for the tweet and deleted his account.

Fri Sept 4: UKIP candidate apologises for tweet about dead Syrian boy and deletes account

Following calls do more to help in the crisis, Prime Minister David Cameron announced on Monday that the UK will accept up to 20,000 refugees from Syria over the next five years.

Two petitions on the website 38 Degrees have been set up. One, titled 'Refugees Welcome in London Borough of Merton' has received more than 100 signatures already.

Clare Kelly, 34, of Sunnyside, Wimbledon, set up the petition 'Refugees Welcome in Wimbledon'.

She said: "Wimbledon is known to be a really affluent area. There’s a lot of wealth and I think it can seem like we’re really far away from these things, but actually we’re all affected.

"It’s just sad it takes something like that picture of the boy on the beach for people to take action.

"We obviously embrace the world during the Wimbledon [tennis championships], but it would be great if we can embrace them during times of crisis as well."

A meeting is also going to be held at Morden Baptist Church, at 8pm Thursday, for anyone in the borough who wants to find a way to help support refugees.

One of the organisers, Morden resident Jackie Schneider, said: "This is for the people who want to offer support. For some it might be financial, for some it might be their house, for some it might be their time.

"I want to be able to help people who come to this country from appalling circumstances integrate and feel a part of Merton.

"Whatever your politics, if you support refugees you are very welcome."

Fellow organiser John Merriman, added: "I would like people to be proud of what our borough is capable of.

"I would like to see a creative drive to help, rather than just asking the Government for money. Creating a solution that comes from the people rather than waiting for the government to tell us what to do.

"I have a three-year-old son myself, who I play with on the beach at the waters edge, so for me that photograph just cut straight to my heart, and made me think there’s only one possible solution here, and we have to help."

To see the 'Refugees Welcome in Wimbledon' petition, go to https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/refugees-welcome-in-wimbledon-1?source=twitter-share-button

To see the 'Refugees Welcome in London Borough of Morden' petition, go to: https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/refugees-welcome-in-london-borough-of-merton