Coventry’s Turkish community overwhelmed by response to tragic earthquake
The community is still receiving donations from local people and organisations to send to Turkey, following the disaster.
Last updated 15th Feb 2023
The Turkish community in Coventry has received an “overwhelming” amount of donations from residents and organisations across the city, following the tragic earthquake last week.
Over 41,000 people were killed in the quake that struck Turkey and Syria.
Dr Huseyin Hakan Yildirim was born in Turkey.
He shared: "When I first heard, I just stopped and started crying.
"Instantly, you start calling people. Your family, your friends, whoever you know in that area."
He continued: "I only have my close family here to share my pain, everyone else is still in Turkey. So, it really touched my heart that the wider community came together during this time to show support. I want to thank everybody for thinking of us and for being with us."
Around £5,000 and 300 boxes of essentials have been collected by the Coventry Education and Cultural Centre in Foleshill.
Dr Yildirim is a member there. He explained: "There wasn't any planning, it just instantly happened.
"Local mosques, churches, temples, schools, and MPs started reaching out to us, asking what they can do to help. We had to stop collecting items and divert people to other places to make the donations, as it was getting difficult to organise everything."
The centre offers a wide range of support like language lessons, particularly to the Turkish and Muslim community – but welcomes everyone.
Members started gathering winter clothes and hygiene products to send over immediately after the earthquake struck on 6 February.