High Peak school raises thousands for children hit by Turkey earthquake

Pupils at Taxal & Fernilee Primary School, on Reddish Road, have collected donations totalling £3,500 after braving the February cold for a sponsored run around the playground.

Over the course of a day, each of the seven classes took their turn to do laps of the site, earning very generous support from families and friends at home.

Vanessa Thorpe, chair of the school’s parent, teachers and friends association, said: “Ultimately it doesn’t matter where you are or what you have, there is always something you can do to help others.

“The children had been seeing stories from Turkey and Syria on the news and talking about it among themselves. My two kids had asked if there was something they could do. We collected donations for Ukraine last year too, and the pupils really like to help. They were so excited on the day.”

She added: “The amount we’ve raised has surpassed all expectations. We set a small goal to begin with and the total just kept going up and up. We’ve been blown away.

“Times are tough for everyone at the moment, but I know parents who felt like they had to do what they can to support people in an even tougher situation.

“I think the kids deserve a lot of recognition too. Some of them ran as many as 14 laps. It might not sound a lot to adults, but they were all red in the face and just kept going and going. They should be so proud of themselves.”

The impetus for the fundraising came from Ela Greatorex and Kate Glen-Wright, the mum and grandma of three children at the school.

They previously lived in Turkey and still visit regularly for family reasons and work – Kate trains teachers and writes educational English language books for children across Turkey and Egypt, and Ela is currently working with Uefa on preparations for this season’s Champions League final in Istanbul.

Kate said: “We all lived through the İzmit earthquake in 1999, and those memories made it hit even harder for us this time.

“I was last in the earthquake zone in September, and I actually lived in İskenderun, one of the worst-hit areas, in the 1980s. It’s close to Antakya – the ancient city of Antioch – and it has this great sense of connectedness to world history, a lot of which has now been lost.

“You could sit there drinking tea and hear all these different languages bouncing around the room, and it’s a big region for industry and agriculture. It’s an amazing, very friendly place and a beautiful melting pot of cultures.”

The family’s connection to the earthquake was made more intense when Nevazat, Ela’s dad – Kate’s ex-husband and close friend – drove 15 hours from his home Istanbul to help one of her friends search for missing relatives.

Kate said: “Very sadly they did find some who had died, while others had survived. They were there before some of the rescue groups, and Nevzat stayed on and signed up to help as an interpreter then he ended up transporting bodies.

“It was really horrendous. If you’re not used to that kind of rescue work it takes a huge emotional toll. Nevzat drove a few people back to Istanbul then shut himself away for a few days to recover.”

Feeling helpless at home and desperate to do whatever they could, the family launched an appeal at the Sunshine Nursery in Whaley Bridge, where Ela’s youngest child goes, and Paul Roberts Modern Martial Arts in Chapel-en-le-Frith, where her older daughter trains.

Soon, donations of nappies, baby milk and clothes began flooding in and piling up at the Transhipment Warehouse, ready for dispatch to Turkey.

Kate said: “We managed to fill three large vans and an SUV. We had all these volunteers come in to the warehouse to help pack everything up in the freezing cold.

“The community spirit was amazing. I only moved here from Yorkshire a couple of years ago, and doing this has made me realise what a wonderful community we have here in the High Peak.”

Alongside the shipment of supplies, the money raised by the school will be donated to Ahbap, a non-governmental organisation which works in animal rights and humanitarian aid as well as natural disaster coordination, which is reported to have raised more than €50million in the first fortnight after the earthquake.

Kate said: “It’s one of the very few NGO’s that people trust in Turkey, as it’s non-political and transparent. They have a huge army of volunteers focusing on after-care, particularly for children.

“Ahbap will look at what’s needed to help people in the seven areas it’s working in at the moment, so the money could fund tents, generators, food, vaccinations or warmth, just to keep people going for now. They also have mental health workers and play workers who are helping the children.”

She added: “I’m very grateful to the school and the PTFA for organising it. It’s absolutely astonishing for such a tiny school to raise this much money. The parents and families really went all out to help.”

“I’m glad it’s going now too. When a disaster like this strikes, there’s a big initial reaction which can sometimes peter away, but the help will still be needed much later on.”

Support your Buxton Advertiser by becoming a digital subscriber. You will see 70 per cent fewer ads on stories, meaning faster load times and an overall enhanced user experience. Click here to subscribe.