Students and staff left messages of solidarity for those affected by the disaster

There will be a vigil today at 12am outside Minerva building to pray and raise money for those affected by the Turkey-Syria earthquake. The vigil is open to staff, students, and the wider members of the community.

The vigil is open to anyone, and will be made up of poems, prayers, and collections to rebuild communities affected

Elsewhere, students at the University of Lincoln have been doing their bit to support those affected.

The Red Cross on Campus Society arranged a bake-sale on campus.

“A lot of Turkish student’s brought their traditional Turkish foods,” said Sophia, from Red Cross on Campus, who raised: “over £350 in online donations alone”.

“When I heard the news, it was really horrific” said Subash Chellaiah, Multi-Faith Chaplaincy Co-Ordinator at the University.

He felt he should “respond in solidarity for the people of Turkey and Syria”.

They hosted one of their monthly “Chat Cafés”, a project from the University Chaplaincy and the centre for reconciliation, a local community organisation.

“It’s a small café really,” he added, noting that the money raised from the Café was estimated to be around £230.

Mr Subash Chellaiah, Multi-Faith Chaplaincy Co-Ordinator at the University, has been helping to organise fundraising and ‘Chat Cafes’ across campus

“People were very generous,” he said. “It was really amazing to see how students responded and how they care for the situation in Turkey and Syria.”

The scale of the disaster has continued to grow, as some reports claim the death toll surpassed 40,000 yesterday.

“I had a message from my friend from the mosque, they had an event on Sunday,” Mr Chellaiah said, “and my friend texted me to say that from the communities there, one family had lost over 10 members.”

Students and staff left messages of solidarity for those affected by the disaster

“The children who survived, who lost the parents, psychologically it can last forever. They need trauma counselling and long-term support.”

“We are there for the people of Turkey and Syria, for the people who are affected. We are also there for the students, staff and the communities in Lincoln and Lincolnshire affected by this issue.”

Students affected can go to the student wellbeing centre or any of the 23 chaplains, whose contact information is available on the chaplaincy website.