To most people, Lesbos is an island paradise. Home of the Ancient Greek poet Sappho and an idyllic holiday destination.

But to refugees fleeing Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan the island is the gateway to mainland Europe and means safety and the chance to build a new life.

Croxley resident and Rickmansworth Tennis Club chairman Mark O'Brien travelled to the Greek island on Boxing Day to help these refugees. Here he tells the story of his New Year.

I had been on the volunteer list for five months and received a call on December 23 to ask if I would be willing to travel to the north of Lesvos to assist the sea and beach rescue for the refugees who have travelled through Syria, Afghanistan and Iraq to reach Turkey, where they were crossing perilous seas in ill-equipped boats and poorly-made life jackets.

My journey began late on Boxing Day when I flew via Athens to Mythiliene and hired a car to take me to Eftalou beach. The journey took about 16 hours. Here I met the amazing Kempson family, residents who were now leading the rescue operations of the refugees along a 20km coastline.

After a short induction I found myself patrolling the coast and it was on my first day that I witnessed the plight and danger that men, women and children in their thousands risk every day. The waters are cold but we had wetsuits and are trained in the water. The 480,000 people who have made this journey are not. The makeshift boats often break up on the rocks far from the shoreline with up to 120 people on board. Often a boat capsizes in darkness.

Many were successful in making the crossing, but too many were not. The work of the lifeguards, clothes and food station volunteers can not be overstated. As the weather conditions worsened to -8C and snow, thankfully the Greek & Turkish coastguards stopped all boats from crossing, so I therefore made my way down to the south of the island to the refugee camp Moria.

It is impossible to comprehend the devastating conditions in which more than 15,000 people at any one time are partly sheltered in makeshift tents. Many are sheltering with just blankets in the freezing conditions until they can get their papers processed to travel by sea ferry to Athens.

Teams of volunteers from all over Europe were putting up hot food stations, children's shelters, medical centres, dry clothes areas and so much more. Without their work, 1,000s would be dying every day. We carried children and adults soaking wet with hypothermia,. They were frightened, but immensely courageous. I met a wonderful Dutch family who had organised schools in Holland to donate rucksacks with pens, sweets and other items that were handed out to more than 22,000 children. It would be wonderful if the schools of Rickmansworth, Croxley, Watford and Chorleywood could consider this. The family also supported the local Greeks in distributing hot breakfast and at the end of each day their sons organised a game of football in the camp, which momentarily gave respite from the refugees' reality.

What I learnt is that the real heroes are those that give their children a chance of a life away from war zones in their home countries. The people of Lesvos, which has a population of 12,000, have also seen their own lives turned upside down and in turn face an uncertain future. It really is people helping people. There are well-funded NGOs on the island but donations to volunteer organisations such as Better Days for Moria, and Positive Action Lesvos can really help make a huge difference.