A travel company specialising in holidays to Greece has issued a call for donations for refugees in Greece. Sunvil, which sends 20,000 holidaymakers to Greece each summer, will fly the donations to Samos on its last charter flight on the season on 1 October.

The tour operator – and charter airline Germania – expects to fly three tonnes of aid to the island. Following consultation with the Red Cross and local refugee support groups, it has appealed for tents, sleeping bags, gym mats and warm jackets in all sizes.

Sunvil managing director Chris Wright said it had been moved to help after talking to its holiday reps in Greece. “They live there and can see that the need is going to get greater rather than diminish.”

Samos is one of several islands close to Turkey to have received thousands of refugees this summer.

Sunvil had already offered empty seats on the return charter flight, free of charge, to enable the government to bring refugees to the UK – an offer unlikely to be taken up.

• Donations should be sent, by 29 September, to: Samos Donations, Sunvil, Sunvil House, Old Isleworth, Middlesex, TW7 7BJ