Communities rally together to appeal for aid to help Turkey and Syria earthquake victims
Across Shropshire Turkish and Syrian communities are leading efforts to send aid to the disaster stricken countries following the devastating earthquakes.
Telford’s Turkish community banded together to send around 100 boxes of aid to the disaster-stricken country before concentrating on raising more funds that can be donated.
In Shrewsbury a Syrian couple are appealing for help for the area in which their relatives live while in Oswestry and Ellesmere fundraising is also underway.
Within 24 hours after the devastating earthquakes in Turkey and Syria, members of Telford’s Turkish Community Association had collected almost 100 boxes of critical aid.
Boxes full of clothes and blankets were collected by members and shipped over to Turkey on Wednesday.
Their contributions will help survivors battling the freezing conditions following the 7.8-magnitude quake that hit on Monday morning.
Faruk Yuksel from the Telford association spoke of the day the news started coming in.
He said: “Monday morning was really, really bad.
“Everybody didn’t think it was that big, but when the sun came up everyone realised just how bad it was. A total disaster.”
Wasting no time, the charity began orchestrating a huge aid collection.
Faruk explained: “We called an association working with the Turkish government on Monday morning and asked if they were taking donations, they said yes so we started collecting.
“In one day we had nearly 100 boxes.”
His daughter, eight-year-old, Betul, included one of her own teddy bears with a note that read: “This is the teddy bear I hug when I sleep every night, I’m sending it you.
“I love you so much. Please don’t be afraid, may God save us all.”
Donations were taken to Birmingham Airport, to a Turkish airline shipping aid.
The charity is now working with other British Turkish associations to raise £500,000.
Some of the staff from the USA Fried Chicken Takeaway in Oswestry say they will travel to Turkey at the end of February to take winter aid. The takeaway is working with the Istanbul Barber in the town and Simla Restaurant collecting warm clothing and blankets
George Miah from the Simla said: “The first load of donations are en route to Wrexham and on Monday morning a lorry will depart from Manchester for Turkey.”
In Ellesmere Oktay and Nalen Basceken, say they have been offered help in their fundraising from both individuals in and around the town and groups such at Ellesmere Rotary.
Their immediate families, who live near the town of Antakya, are safe but living in shelters with only the clothes they had when they escaped their homes in the early hours of the morning of the earthquake.
Oktay, who owns the Pizza The Mere takeaway in Ellesmere says he has contacts in Turkey that can help to get vital fuel, water, food and clothing to the area.
“Ellesmere Rotary Club can hopefully help with emergency tents and we have also been helping by people in Welsh Frankton and Dudleston Heath.
He said getting power to the shelters was the main priority with winter temperatures making problems worse.”
“Our immediate families are safe but they have nothing.”
His appeal can be found on the Pizza The Mere website: fivestarpizzathemere.co.uk.
