5,700 people have died on refugee and migrant routes around the world in the last year, an increase of more than a fifth, according to Oxfam.

One year ago, the world was shocked at the images of three-year-old Syrian Alan Kurdi lying lifeless on the beach, having drowned in the Mediterranean as his family tried to cross to Europe from Turkey. Yet despite the public outcry in response, there has been a dramatic increase in the number of people dying while attempting to flee to safety, Oxfam report.

The aid and development charity claim that the numbers of people who have died on refugee and migrant routes since the start of 2016 equates to one almost every 80 minutes.

Photographs of Alan Kurdi became headline news around the world a year ago. Independent research shared with Oxfam by the Visual Social Media Lab, based at the University of Sheffield, found a subsequent rise in interest in the refugee crisis on Twitter, with four times as many tweets on the subject than in the year before. The #refugeeswelcome hashtag began trending worldwide in the days after Alan Kurdi’s death and has been used 2.35 million times in the 12 months since.

The pictures prompted a response in Ross-on-Wye; a group was formed, called Ross for Refugees. This group have collected essential donations for refugees living in camps in Northern France, such as clothes, shelter, boots, and food. Members of the group have travelled to France with the donations, and taken them to camps in Calais and Dunkirk.

The group have visited the refugee camps on many occasions. They have constructed shelters, built a school, and helped in any other ways they could. Their work is ongoing.

The recent images of Omran Daqneesh, the child pictured bloodied and covered in dust after being pulled from the rubble of his apartment block in Aleppo, have had a similar effect, showing the strength of public feeling about the violence that is forcing many refugees to flee.

Up to 60 refugees are due to be resettled in Herefordshire from November, and County Council have appealed to residents to step forward and volunteer their help, if they are able and willing to do so.

Interpreters who speak Arabic are urgently needed, as are residents who are able to teach English to the refugees.

In addition to the Syrian refugee families due to be resettled, the local authority will also take in unaccompanied asylum minors, youths under the age of 18 who have been living in refugee camps alone. Herefordshire Council’s fostering care team are urging residents to come forward if they are interested in providing stable and secure homes for these children.

If you’d like to help the refugees settle and integrate into Herefordshire’s communities - whether that’s assisting with shopping or providing family activities - please get in touch with Herefordshire Council. Information can be found on the website: www.herefordshire.gov.uk/refugees, and volunteering forms can be downloaded from there.