IT all began with a social media post.

Laid up following an ankle operation, Vicki Gilbert was initially alerted to the Boxing Day floods by a particular post she read on Facebook from a Baildon builder offering his services to help.

For Vicki it sparked an idea which has since spiralled into the creation of a support network coordinating donations to those whose homes have been devastated.

Yorkshire Voluntary Flood Support is now helping to re-build homes, and lives, around the county as Vicki and her team appeal for the items in need and ensure they get to the right destinations - all from the comfort of their homes.

The fact that this began through a social media post demonstrates what a valuable technological tool it is in getting people together and, in true Yorkshire, spirit, the county has united to help flood victims who have literally lost everything.

Vicki explains the impetus for setting up the Facebook page was to provide a platform for people, such as Dan Barraclough, the builder whose post she spotted, to offer their services.

Dan, and his wife Karen, who live in Baildon, were so moved by what was happening they decided to help. Working with Vicki, and other volunteers who have come on board, including Sue Smith who has been transporting supplies, the couple are helping to deploy services and support.

"When this happened and it is on your own doorstep you almost don't have an excuse and with it being Christmas and everything else, we both had time off, it was the right thing to do," explains Karen.

"It is just a horrendous time to have your life turned upside down," says Karen.

Since setting up the site, they've been overwhelmed by the response and have received more than 150,000 posts. "It is absolutely incredible," says Karen.

They secured a 40ft storage space in Bradford which has become a distribution hub for the supplies they receive.

Vicki recalls the church in South Elmsall, near Wakefield, contacting them which the local community had stacked to the rafters with donations.

The group are also working closely with other flood support groups which have set up in many of the affected areas such as Keighley.

"It wouldn't have happened without Facebook and we are on Twitter as well," says Vicki.

"What has amazed me is not the selflessness because I think the people of Yorkshire are very selfless anyway but the sheer scope of the need of people, people need psychological support - a lot of people haven't got insurance, they may not have been able to get it because they've been flooded before," says Vicki.

She says as well as coordinating support and donations, they are also signposting people to where they can get help.

They have also set up a fund to help those who need practical help and have already been supported by a Leeds pub which ran a collection among its customers.

"People have been absolutely brilliant," says Vicki.

And there are plenty of examples of support they have provided, both financially and practically, such as funding new uniforms and Christmas presents for families affected in the Bradford area and Otley.

And while the water may now have receded, Vicki says the need is as great as ever. They are currently appealing for storage space and are also conscious that there may be many people still struggling who are too proud to ask for help.

"The need is as big as ever to help people and I think people don't understand that it is a long term project. The short term is to clear up and clean up," says Vicki.

Through Bradford-based Global Promise, the charity local businessman, Zulfi Hussain, set up in response to the Boxing Day Tsunami, Zulfi and his fellow volunteers were initially involved in supporting those affected by the floods in Cumbria.

Since then they have been helping those closer to home affected by the Boxing Day floods which devastated parts of our region.

In response to an urgent appeal Zulfi heard for food and warm meals, he and his team - in collaboration with Deeva restaurant in Farsley and the Pavilion Cafe in Bradford, which he is involved with, delivered 2,500 meals around the affected communities.

He also supplied food to the Yorkshire Flood Aid Concert held in Halifax. "I think a lot has been about changing perceptions in terms of how the Muslim community has stepped up and helped so many people, " he says.

Zulfi says since the Tsunami the charity hasn't stopped. "What we have done is bring the international experience we have gained and brought it closer to home."

For more information visit GlobalpromiseUK Facebook or search Yorkshire Voluntary Flood Support.