A group of Turkish women in north London has raised more than £10,000 to support victims of devastating earthquakes that hit the country two weeks ago.
Muswell Hill Hanımlar (also known as Muswell Hill Women from Turkey in Solidarity), held a fundraising event outside Planet Organic on Saturday (February 18).
Led by Aylin Büyükkaragöz, an academic and nutrition expert, and Haringey councillor Marsha Isilar-Gosling, the group sold a variety of home-made items and food in aid of charities working in the area.
A total of £10,500 was raised, more than double the target the group had set themselves.
Cllr Isilar-Gosling said: “Selling is essentially what we were doing but we didn’t have any price tags as such and instead had a suggested donation.
“One of the first sales was from a man who bought two cookies and he put his hand in his pocket and took out £16.
“Everyday we are bombarded by these horror stories in the news, and then an event like this really restores your faith back into humanity.”
Cllr Isilar-Gosling, a Liberal Democrat councillor for Highgate ward, explained that her family on her mother's side has been deeply affected by the earthquake.
She said: “My mum originates from the epicentre of the first earthquake and while I don’t know any of that side of the family, she’s absolutely devastated.
“The death toll on her family has reached over 30 now – imagine one side of your family being wiped out entirely.
“It’s heartbreaking and I felt so helpless, but this is the way we help – by raising money within the community.”
So far more than 47,000 people are confirmed to have died in Turkey and Syria following the earthquakes on February 6.
But Aylin says that there are fears within the Turkish community that the death toll could be as high as 200,000.
She said: “Even though it’s not my family members it’s affected me terribly – lots of my friends’ family members have died.
“That’s why as soon as we heard about the earthquake we collected some donations immediately.
“You wouldn’t believe how many donations we received on that first night.”
Aylin, who has lived in Muswell Hill for the past five years, has been co-ordinating donations through a WhatsApp groupchat of Turkish woman in Muswell Hill.
The group will be working with Turkish charities so that the money and donations collected can be put to the best use.
Cllr Isilar-Gosling said the group hoped the money raised over the weekend could be used to provide temporary accommodation for affected families, as well as prosthetics for children who lost limbs in the disaster.
Both women praised the work of the wider local community in supporting them in their efforts.
Aylin said: “What we can do from over here in London, we will try to do.
“We’ve had amazing support within the Turkish community and from everyone else living around here.
“You really can still feel some humanity around the world.”
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