Mancunians are being urged to donate clothes, sleeping bags and other items as part of a huge relief effort to help Turkey as it struggles to cope with the devastating earthquake across Turkey and Syria which has so far claimed more than 5,000 lives.
As Manchester charities and firefighters head to the earthquake zone, the North West Turkish Community has opened collection points in Middleton and Trafford Park where people are being asked to donate items to help with the relief effort, particularly to help survivors cope in the cold weather.
The items being asked for are: coats, boots, jumpers, trousers, gloves, scarves, socks, underwear, tens, bedding, tents, blankets, sleeping bags, flasks, torches (without batteries), canned food, nappies, sanitary pads and cleaning products.
Read more: Rescue efforts continue in Turkey and Syria as death toll passes 5,000
Organisers are asking that donations are new and boxed to speed up the process of flying items to Turkey.
The chairman of NWTC, Saddleworth businessman Kursat Uysal, 48, told the M.E.N: "The first I heard about this was on the news yesterday. Four of my colleagues were in a hotel in the centre of the earthquake. Unfortunately their hotel collapsed and we haven't heard any news about them.
"My friend and two cousins, their house collapsed. This is on such a big scale. It has affected everybody. At the moment there are 3,000 buildings that have completely collapsed."
Kursat is part of Greater Manchester's significant Turkish community. He came to the UK to study at university where he met his wife. They have a daughter. He owns companies in Middleton and Turkey which manufacture machinery for the food industry.
Anyone who wants to make donations can bring them to Senol & Senol Ltd/GOSS Outdoor at Unit C, Canalside North, John Gilbert Way in Trafford Park, M17 1UP (on the estate next to Manchester United football ground N3 Car Park).
Donations can also be brought to Gemak UK, Milk-Lab UK building, Sadler Street, Middleton, M24 5UJ.
Items can be delivered between 9am and 4.30pm, with the deadline for any donations 4.30pm on Friday.
Another Manchester-based charity, UK-Med, has sent a team and its chief executive David Wightwick to assess where help is needed most.
He told BBC Radio 4 Today programme: "It's that decision where it's most needed which is the bit that takes up the first day or so. You can imagine in an area the size affected and with the numbers affected that's not necessarily an easy decision to make."
Another Manchester charity, Action for Humanity, has set up an appeal to send its own team to the disaster zone. It said on its website: "Our teams are mobilising on the ground in response to this disaster. With your support, we can ensure that life-saving aid reaches those in need."
Manchester-based charity Human Appeal has launched an emergency appeal on its website and deployed a team to the town of Gaziantep near to the epicentre of the devastating earthquake.
The charity's staff will assess what is needed in both Turkey and northern Syria, focussing at first on food, hygiene kits and basic medicine.
Dr. Ubeyd Sakin, Human Appeal's country director for Turkey, said: ''This is the worst earthquake in the last century almost 2,000 buildings have collapsed, 1,000 people have lost their lives and many are severely injured. Unfortunately, this number is expected to rise. The disaster hit 10 of Turkiye's southern cities, where most of the Syrian refugees reside. There is urgent need for shelter, food and winter items such as blankets as temperatures in the area continue to drop.''
Across the border in northern Syria, Human Appeal's Al Imaan hospital was also impacted by the earthquake with damage reported but the hospital is so far safe enough to continue
The charity was established in 1991 and runs aid relief programmes in collaboration with organisations like the United Nations. Its purpose is to save lives through emergency response and sustainable development programmes, across over 25 countries worldwide. Find out more here.
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