VOLUNTEERS from Camden have begun compiling a  directory of spare rooms in which Syrian refugees could be housed.

The Camden For Refugees group said it wanted to help bring together people who wanted to take in refugees fleeing the Assad and Isis regimes in Syria.

Organisers were at a street fair Bartholomew Road, Kentish Town, today (Saturday) drumming up support and sharing ways in which Londoners could help.

It follows the surge of interest in the plight of the refugees following the death of three-year-old Aylan al-Kurdi, whose body was shown washed ashore on a beach in Turkey in a widely-shared photograph. His family had been trying to reach Kos when their boat capsized.

The New Journal reported on Thursday how Camden Council had been in the thick of negotiations as the debate raged over how the United Kingdom should react and how many people leaving Syria it should provide shelter to. Council leader Sarah Hayward has been prominent in calls for the government to do more, and Prime Minister David Cameron pledged at the end of last week that more refugees would be helped.

So grateful for the support we have received! #refugeeswelcome pic.twitter.com/Laq3p9tB9t

— CamdenForRefugees (@Camden4Refugees) September 5, 2015

Germany and Austria have taken in thousands of asylum seekers crossing over the border with Hungary today, with people from Munich cheering and applauding as some of them reached the main station after gruelling journeys.

It is thought Camden will ‘take in’ at least 20 families but there is a desire among Labour councillors do more if possible. They are balancing polarised community views on whether council resources should be used at a time when public services have been stretched by spending cuts.

“I can’t make promises because there are long-term implications for the council we need to look at,” Cllr Hayward told the New Journal, “but there are only so many images of people dying that you can see before you are compelled to help.”

Green councillor Sian Berry, meanwhile, has suggested empty police and fire stations should be opened up and converted into accommodation for those in need. 

Sorting through donations! #refugeeswelcome pic.twitter.com/7fSnF8i2vj

— CamdenForRefugees (@Camden4Refugees) September 5, 2015

Izaak Binet, from Camden For Refugees, said: “We are trying to put together a list of all the households that have a spare room and are willing to host a refugee for any amount of time. “

#refugeeswelcome pic.twitter.com/yTzzCbyDwu

— CamdenForRefugees (@Camden4Refugees) September 5, 2015

In a message to those interested, the group said: “If you can, please leave your name and postcode below and we will consolidate this information and send it to the local council. If you are unable to offer a spare room, but are keen to assist and welcome newly arrived refugees, please leave your name and state how you would be able to help. This could include: providing English language support, mentoring to help their integration and any other kind of support.”