Chesterfield business owners launch appeal for essential supplies in wake of Turkey quake disaster

Rico Gunes, 39, was born in Elbistan, where a quake measuring 7.6 flattened more than 600 buildings in the town on Tuesday. His parents and brothers, who live in three separate houses, escaped injury.

He said: “On my first call to my parents they said it was scary and that they got shaken loads and loads. The electricity went off and the landline phones got cut off. At the time it happened, heavy snow started to fall and it was minus ten.”

In other parts of the town, which is a little larger than Chesterfield, the homes of Rico’s two older brothers suffered more from the quake than their parents’ house did. Rico said: “The homes have very large cracks in them. One of my brothers lives in a block of flats and the building across the road got knocked down.”

While Rico’s parents have chosen to stay in their house where walls were cracked by the earthquake, his brothers have moved miles away to temporary accommodation in Istanbul and the Turkish city of Izmir.

Rico, who lives on Derby Road, Chesterfield said: “I feel for everyone, not just my family. Millions of people have been affected, the earthquakes affected ten different cities.”

He is working in conjunction with his ex-wife Sofia to collect donations of first aid supplies, nappies, children’s clothes, toiletries, blankets, single quilts, camp beds, scarfs, hats and gloves for people whose lives have been devastated by the quakes.

Donations can be dropped off at Rico’s takeaway, Marmaris, at 36a Walton Drive, Boythorpe, between 5pm and 10pm or at Sofia’s business, Olympia House Antiques on Brimington Road, Chesterfield between 10am and 4pm.

Sofia said: “We've got a large shed that we're taking donations in at our shop. We've got plenty coming in and plenty more to come; we've had people phone in, messaging, emailing, even from as far away as Birmingham. Everyone is really helping. We’ll do as many donation drops as we possibly can because it will take a while for them to rebuild.”