Arsenal have teamed up with charities to send aid to those devastated by the recent earthquakes in Turkey and Syria.
The earthquakes at the start of this month have so far claimed the lives of over 46,000 people, with further quakes then recorded on Monday.
Arsenal have already granted a donation to Save the Children’s appeal through the Arsenal Foundation to further support children, families and local communities.
The club are now stepping up their support by working with HIS Church Charity and north London’s Turkish Cypriot Community Association (TCCA) to assist the local response to the tragedy.
Through their close contact with people on the ground in Turkey, the TCCA has identified that there is an urgent need for sleeping bags.
Arsenal and HIS Church have been able to source 1,500 sleeping bags for immediate distribution to those who need them most.
The lorry load of sleeping bags was taken to Heathrow Airport last week by a delegation which included the Head of Arsenal in the Community, Freddie Hudson, along with representatives of TCCA, HIS Church, the Turkish Police Federation and the Turkish Embassy.
The goods are being flown directly to Istanbul where upon arrival they will be distributed to the regions affected.
“We couldn’t stand by and watch the suffering without reaching out to our local Turkish community and supporters in north London to offer our support,” said Hudson.
“Thanks to close collaboration with TCCA, HIS Church, The Turkish Police Association and The Turkish Embassy we were able to respond quickly. TCCA highlighted sleeping bags as a priority need and within a week we were standing on the tarmac at Heathrow with a juggernaut loaded full with 1,500 ready for Istanbul.
“Along with this aid, we are sending our love and hope from north London to everyone in the region that has been impacted.”
