If you're planning a holiday, go to Phuket. That's the plea from a Leagrave woman who says the locals are desperate to earn a decent living again after the tsunami that devastated Thailand.

Karin Spedding, 51, urges prospective tourists not to worry about the moral dilemma of staying away in respect of the dead.

"There are no people walking in black hats, black dresses and black gloves," she says. It's just the same as it always was, except the beautiful beaches are empty of foreigners. And the local people can't rebuild their lives and their businesses without them."

She is also keen to encourage donations, however small, to an orphanage she visited on her recent trip.

Still visibly moved, she says: "The children are such helpless victims in all this. They can't express their feelings like adults. They don't understand what's happened or why. All they know is their mummies and daddies are missing. It really broke my heart."

Karin says the local people are reticent about what happened on December 26: "They wait for you to approach them. You can get engaged in helping them if you want. But equally you can enjoy a perfect holiday in blissful surroundings for a fraction of the price you'd pay elsewhere. I was so impressed by what they've achieved so far.

"They're dealing with everything in such a positive way. But that's their philosophy. And their religion helps. They look forwards, not back. And that's very inspiring."

It's 10 years since Karin went to Thailand. She has since taken a BA in tourism at Luton University and was interested both personally and professionally in how the country was coping in the aftermath of the tsunami.

"In some respects it's like any other beach development. On the surface it all looks much the same. The impression I got was aid is given to those who shout the loudest. There's a lot of bureaucracy. You can see it's going to take years for some villages to be reconstructed."

Karin says you can't help getting emotionally involved. She visited the Wall of Remembrance in the north of the island.

"Fading in the sun along with the flowers are photos of victims glued on by grieving relatives.
"Handwritten inscriptions describe the pain of those left behind. There are more permanent memorials screwed into the wall but they express the same raw emotion and incomprehension of how such a terrible thing can happen in paradise."

There are also the more heartwarming stories – the pooch nicknamed Tsunami that was washed out to sea and somehow survived, doggy paddling back to safety.

Karin's most heart-wrenching memories are of the Barnhem Thai Swedish Foundation Orphanage in Muangmai. Set up by a Thai/Swedish couple Narin and Maria Floren, it has 26 rooms with a communal kitchen. It houses 30 children and is manned by volunteers.

One little girl stretched out her arms to Karin. "I felt so frustrated and inadequate that I couldn't speak her language. All I could do was give her a cuddle and a reassuring smile. Those kids have survived such terrible events. What they've seen and experienced is beyond our imagination."

Which is why Karin is determined to put their plight to the British public.

"They need money for day-to-day living, school uniforms and health care. Anything you can spare will make a difference," she says.

If you'd like to help, please send your donation to the Barnhem Thai Swedish
Foundation Orphanage, c/o the Bangkok Bank, account number 573022686 6, Swift code BKKBTHBK.