A Glasgow aid worker has called on Old Firm fans to unite in support of the Turkey-Syria earthquake appeal.
Kenny Hamilton is leading relief efforts in the disaster zone and has seen first hand the heartbreaking scale of destruction across the region.
And despite the huge task he's been confronted with, he's aiming to try and find a bit of time to watch the Hampden derby in Turkey today.
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He said: "To all the fans watching the game back in Glasgow, it would be incredible if you would consider donating to the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) to support our work here. It would really help us support the most vulnerable people.
"I hope I might get a bit of time to watch the match, I won’t say which team I’m supporting but I’d like fans from both clubs to come together and support the appeal, it’s incredibly important - we appreciate your support."
Kenny is coordinating the international aid effort for the Red Cross/Red Crescent in Gaziantep in Southern Turkey alongside many of the other charities that make up the DEC.
Gaziantep is one of several major cities hit by a series of earthquakes and aftershocks nearly three weeks ago, leaving almost 50,000 people dead and around 17 million people in Turkey and north west Syria affected.
Kenny has spoken of the huge scale of the operation, explaining: "I was involved in helping the people of Haiti in 2010 and the Nepal earthquake in 2015 and I’ve never seen anything like this before. Buildings looked like they’ve been bombed and you have to pinch yourself to realise you’re not in a movie set.”
"This disaster is even more shocking to me because I haven’t seen so many modern buildings like this collapse before, they’re like the high-rise blocks in Glasgow or something you’d see when you’re on holiday. The scale of the destruction is incredible.
“To give you an idea of the challenge ahead, we’ve already delivered 70 million meals and 60,000 tents so far and this is just the beginning. Many people are staying in tents in or around football stadiums as they want to stay near their collapsed homes - they are still hoping for a miracle in finding family members alive, unfortunately that’s now very unlikely.”
The response to the DEC’s earthquake appeal in Scotland has so far been overwhelming with £9 million raised here in two weeks, more than £100 million UK-wide. However much more support is needed to help the recovery effort in the months ahead.
The continuing fundraising efforts here have been boosted by an offer of support from the SPFL at this weekend’s League Cup Final between Rangers and Celtic at Hampden Park where fans will be asked to text the word HOPE to 70787 to donate £10 to the appeal.
The DEC brings together 15 leading UK aid charities at times of crisis overseas. Fourteen of these are responding in Turkey and Syria including the six members in Scotland, the British Red Cross, Christian Aid, Islamic Relief, Oxfam, Tearfund, and Save the Children.
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