A GUISELEY aid worker is appealing for the loan of a van to take vital supplies to refugees in Greece.

Rob Lawrie will be setting off this weekend with donated provisions, including warm clothes and baby milk. Although he already has the offer of a vehicle he feels he needs a more reliable van for the long journey and he is appealing to anyone who can help to get in touch.

Rob, from Guiseley, will spend several days driving to Thessaloniki where refugees from Syria are living on the streets in freezing temperatures. He will work to help the destitute migrants and is aiming to be back in the UK before Christmas.

As well as needing a medium or long wheel base van Rob is also appealing for donations of money which will be used to buy equipment such as generators on the ground in Greece. He will be paying for the cost of the journey out of his own money.

The former soldier faced the prospect of jail earlier this year after he was found attempting to smuggle a young Afghan girl to the UK from the Jungle in Calais. He was given a suspended fine of 1,000 Euro by a French court.

Since then he has continued his voluntary work in Calais and is now planning to help desperate refugees in Greece.

He said: "I am taking a van load out - which is miniscule compared to what is needed."

"At the moment there are a lot of refugees, especially from Syria, who are living in military camps and refugee camps," he said.

"However there are also families and young children who are living on the streets of Thessaloniki.

"The perception we have of Greece is 40 degrees sat on the beach - but their winter is as cold, if not colder, than here. Last night it was freezing there."

He stressed: "There are thousands of them, and since the borders with Macedonia have all been shut off there is nowhere for them to go."

He said refugees from Syria were coming to a dead end once they reached Greece, and many of them were living in pop up tents on the streets.

"In particular you have got an awful lot of children and babies," he added.