Southampton mother of three Denise Hallett was so moved by the images of disaster caused by the Boxing Day tsunami that she decided to take action. She tells Kate Thompson about her plans...

WHEN Denise Hallett told her ten-year-old son David she planned to travel half-way round the world to help the victims of the Boxing Day tsunami, he was quick to support her.

"He told me, 'Go Mum. Go and help. You are needed.' When I was first asked if I would like to go out to see where the aid is going, I thought I couldn't possibly go because I am a mother of three.

"But my husband Ian has been wonderful and he has taken time off so he can look after them while I'm away," she said.

So now, after weeks of collecting items to send to families who are putting their lives back together on the Maldives, Denise will be travelling out to the islands to see for herself where the aid has gone.

Like all of us, Denise, 40, from The Grove, Sholing, was devastated when she saw the scenes of destruction unfolding on TV.

"There was a particular image of a man carrying his son out of all the debris. The child looked the same age as one of my boys and I thought, there but for the grace of God go I," said the Slimming World consultant.

Moved by the images to take action, Denise started collecting items of food, clothing, toys and household wares.

She went to her neighbours and broadened the call to her sons schools.

"I have a son at Ludlow School and another at St Monica Infant School. I printed off a list from the Internet of the sort of items we wanted to collect and they started to arrive.

"They have been marvellous at both the schools. As well as used items, they have gone out and bought new things like baby bottles and clothing," she said.

Before she knew it, Denise had one and a half tons of aid in her home. Every available space was taken up with bags and boxes.

And that was when she first made contact with the organisation Friends of the Maldives.

Set up a year ago by founder David Hardingham as a human rights organisation, Friends of the Maldives (FOM) swung into action hours after the tsunami hit.

A strong friendship at school with a pupil from the Maldives prompted David to set up FOM - and it has been at the forefront of delivering aid to the stricken islands.

"The Maldives is the only country to have been entirely hit by the tsunami. About 100 people lost their lives, mostly children and the elderly.

"The islands were over-run by the water as they are only 1.5 metres above sea level. The coral reef helped to diffuse it but they were still badly hit. Buildings have gone and some of the islands are totally uninhabitable.

"In the early days we sent out food, water and clothing but now we are moving into the medium term and looking at water purification and what we can do to help the schools," he said.

Hundreds of Hampshire children have helped by filling 'Happy Boxes' with toys and books. For the past month, Denise has been working in a cold warehouse at Southampton Docks getting boxes of aid ready.

She is planning to travel to the Maldives in March and, in the meantime, she is raising funds for her £400 airfare.

"I will get a lot of satisfaction from seeing the stuff being distributed out there - it will be a sort of closure. I will feel that I'm doing something worthwhile," she said.

Friends of the Maldives has applied for charitable status and it is pending. To find out more about the organisation visit www.friendsofmaldives.co.uk